Sweet RAVIOLI WITH CUSTARD are irresistible little treats from the Carnival tradition, found in family kitchens throughout many regions of Italy. This celebration is never allowed to pass without making fried goodies that bring so much joy to both adults and children. In this recipe the ravioli are filled with a soft and aromatic pastry cream, making these bites even richer and more delicious. Preparing them doesn’t take long and, in any case, the effort is well rewarded by the satisfaction of eating and sharing these ravioli with children and friends: crispy on the outside, yet soft and fragrant inside.
It’s best to prepare the dough and the cream in advance, so you can assemble the pastries more easily, while the frying should, as always, be done at the last moment to ensure the ravioli remain crisp and perfect — just like grandma’s that many of us remember…
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 20-25 ravioli
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 pinch salt
- 3.4 fl oz milk
- 1 egg (medium)
- 1 cup milk
- 2 egg yolks (medium)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch (Maizena)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups peanut oil
Tools
- 1 Pasta machine
- 1 Pastry cutter
Steps
Place the milk in a small saucepan and heat it until it is just about to boil.
In a large bowl beat the eggs with the sugar, mix well and then gradually add the cornstarch and the vanilla extract. If you are using a vanilla bean, place the pod and the seeds to warm in the milk.
Once everything is combined, set it aside.
As soon as the milk reaches the boiling point, remove the vanilla pod if you used it instead of the extract and pour the milk in a thin stream, little by little, into the egg mixture, whisking quickly by hand to temper it and avoid that the eggs cook and form lumps.
Return the mixture to the heat over low flame and continue cooking, stirring with a whisk or a wooden spoon, until it thickens.
Once cooked, place it in a bowl, cover it directly with plastic wrap and let it cool completely.
Place the flour, sugar, a pinch of salt and the cold butter cut into pieces in a bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Work the ingredients until you obtain a sandy texture, then add the egg and the milk.
Combine everything, working the dough for about 5 minutes until you obtain a smooth, homogeneous ball.
Once ready, wrap it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to rest for 1 hour.
Take the dough out of the fridge, divide it into two pieces and, using a pasta machine, roll out fairly thin sheets. Set the machine thickness to 5.
Alternatively, you can roll out the dough with a rolling pin.
Place a generous teaspoon of cream on each sheet. Fold the pasta over itself, just as you would for regular ravioli, seal the two sheets well with your hands, pushing the air out from the inside, and trim with a pastry cutter. You can make the ravioli in the size you prefer.
You can rework the scraps to form other sheets.
Heat plenty of oil and when it is hot begin to fry the ravioli, a few at a time, until golden brown.
Drain the sweet custard ravioli on absorbent paper and, when dry, dust them with plenty of powdered sugar.
VARIATION
Once the sheet is rolled you can fill the ravioli with one teaspoon of jam and one teaspoon of pastry cream. You can also mix hazelnut spread with the pastry cream to obtain an even more indulgent filling.
Once the sheet is rolled you can fill the ravioli with one teaspoon of jam and one teaspoon of pastry cream. You can also mix hazelnut spread with the pastry cream to obtain an even more indulgent filling.
