*** Ramen Noodles

• 2 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tsp Potassium Carbonate & Sodium Bi-carbonate ("kansui" from an Asian market)

Mix the warm water and the kansui. Then add to the flour in your KitchenAid's mixing bowl. Using the dough hook, knead it until it forms a ball, about 5 minutes. The dough will be tough and appear very dry.

Cut the dough into quarters, and immediately wrap the three you aren't working with in plastic wrap. Run the remaining quarter of the dough through a pasta roller. It will take on a smooth, silky texture after a few runs through. Continue running through and increment to setting 3.

Run through the spaghetti cutter attachment of your KitchenAid, or cut with a knife for square-edged noodles.

Dust the noodles with flour after cutting them, then shake. Twirl the noodles into nests and freeze or refrigerate in an airtight container.

To cook, boil for 2-3 minutes until they float to the top.

Makes 4 servings, 7 WW PointsPlus each.

*** Cocoa Dessert Ravioli

• One batch of cocoa pasta dough (see cocoa ravioli)
• 9 oz 00 flour, or 50/50 mix of bread flour and all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 1 oz cocoa powder
• 15 oz container of ricotta
• 2 oz mini chocolate chips
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 egg (for sealing the ravioli)
• chocolate sauce
• powdered sugar
• strawberries

Make pasta dough for ravioli:
Mix cocoa powder and flour. Whisk the eggs separately, then incorporate into the dry ingredients with a dough hook in a KitchenAid mixer at speed 2. Once the dough is mixed, remove the dough from the mixer and knead by hand until it is leathery and elastic. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes.

Roll out the dough to setting 4 on a pasta roller.

Make the filling:

Mix chocolate chips, ricotta, and sugar.

Assemble:
Fill the ravioli with the filling. Use a single whisked egg as a wash to help seal them. If using the mickey-shape, place the filling in a V shape on a precut piece of dough, then cover with a whole sheet, flip once sealed, and cut using the precut piece as a guideline.

Cook the ravioli in a pot of boiling water as normal (about 4 minutes).

To serve: swizzle the chocolate sauce over the plate, then add sliced strawberries. Arrange the ravioli on the plate, then dust with powdered sugar.

Mascarpone Mousse

• 4 oz mascarpone cheese
• 2 oz heavy cream
• 2 oz sugar
• 4 Tbsp Marsala wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 lady finger cookies

Whisk the mascarpone, sugar, and cream in a KitchenAid mixer at high speed, stopping to scrape the bowl halfway through with the whisk blade.

Boil the Marsala wine, with the bay leaf, water, and sugar, for 1 minute. Allow to cool down.

Soak the lady fingers for 5 seconds in the wine  mixture.

In a glass or ramekin, layer the mousse, then soaked cookie, then more mousse in the serving containers.

Makes 3 servings.

Garnish with granulated chocolate (see recipe)

Granulated Chocolate

• 14 oz granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 6 oz dark chocolate, chopped

NOTE: HOT SUGAR IS DANGEROUS AND WILL BURN YOU IF YOU TOUCH IT WITH BARE SKIN

Melt the sugar with the water over medium heat. When the sugar starts to crystalize, add the chooped chocolate. Stir until it is crumbled. All to cool.

*** Chocolate Truffles

• 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 10 oz dark chocolate, chopped (65% cocoa solids is best, but as low as 58% will work)
• 1 tsp salt
• coating
• toasted pistachios
• cocoa powder
• granulated sugar
• cinnamon
• chili powder

NOTE: if not using sugar in the coating, you may want to include some in the filling/center.

Place the cream in a pan over a medium heat and bring up to a simmer. Once it is simmering, immediately turn off the heat and add the salt.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a large bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.

Once the cream is hot and the chocolate is melted, pour 1/3 of the cream into the melted chocolate and stir until combined. Repeat twice. Allow to cool slightly.

Line a large pan or baking sheets with with wax paper. Pour the chocolate mixture in and place in the fridge for 1 hour or until set.

Using a small melon baller, scoop balls of the chocolate out and roll in cocoa powder before serving. You may need to roll them into balls in your hands. If so, use a pair of latex gloves to help keep them from sticking to your hands.

Roll in the coating of your choice.

*** Cocoa Ravioli

Pasta

• 9 oz 00 flour (substitute 50/50 mix of bread flour and all-purpose flour if you can't find 00 flour)
• 4 eggs
• 1 oz cocoa powder
• pinch of sea salt (or kosher salt)

Filling

• 2 big artichokes
• 3 oz fresh ricotta
• 1 small bunch of fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

KitchenAid directions: mix dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Whisk eggs separately, then incorporate using dough hook at speed 2. Once dough is well formed, remove from mixer and knead by hand until dough is leathery and elastic.

By hand directions: Whisk eggs in a separate bowl. Mix dry ingredients, place in a pile on clean, dry counter top. Make a well in the middle using three fingers. Pour the eggs into the well, and using your fingers, make circles in the eggs, gently brushing the inside of the well. This will slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the eggs. Once the dough has mostly formed, scrape up any of the ingredients sticking to the surface and work into the dough. Knead by hand until dough is leather and elastic.

Once the dough has been kneaded, cover in plastic wrap. Let rest for 20 minutes or more.

For the filling, clean the artichokes. To do this, rip off the leaves one at a time, pulling at a 90 degree angle. Once all of the green outer leaves have been removed, use a paring knife to cut off the rough bits near the stem. Then use a vegetable peeler to continue to remove the tough green outer bits until you're left with the stem and the yellowish heart. Trim the end of the stem, then trim the pointy, tough leaves from the top. Split the artichoke down the middle, then cut out the choke, the fuzzy bit, from the middle. Thinly slice the artichoke heart.

Saute the artichoke heart with a bit of olive oil. Once it is cooked, put it in the freezer for about 10 minutes to cool it.

Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, parmesan, and fresh thyme leaves. Add the cooled artichokes in, then season with salt and pepper as needed.

Form the pasta sheets for the ravioli, then fill and close them.

Salt and boil a pot of water. Cook for 3-5 minutes, whenever they begin to float.

Toss with a bit of olive oil and finely grated parmesan. (Or you can saute with a little butter and salt).

*** Cocoa-Orange Sponge Cake

Cake

• 5 eggs
• 2.5 oz cocoa powder
• 2.5 oz all-purpose flour (if making white sponge cake, replace cocoa powder with flour)
• 5 oz sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Filling

• 3 Tbsp Cointreau, or other orange-flavored liqueur
• 12 oz mascarpone cheese
• 6 oz heavy cream
• 6 oz sugar
• zest of 1 orange

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

In the mixing bowl of a KitchenAid mixer, combine the eggs sugar for the cake. Attach the whisk attachment and whisk at high speed until the batter is very firm. Stop the whisk and remove the bowl from the mixer. Combine the dry ingredients and sieve into the bowl. Fold in with a rubber spatula gently, and continue mixing until the mixture is about 80% mixed in (it doesn't have to perfectly smooth).

With a stick of cold butter, butter the inside of a 9-inch round pan. In the class we used a single 12-inch pan. This recipe may require using a pair of 9-inch pans. Dust the pan with flour and shake it to coat all of the inside. If any spots remain unfloured, reapply butter and flour.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, clean and dry the whisk and mixing bowl. Then, whip together the cheese, heavy cream, and sugar at high speed. About halfway through, detach the whisk and use it to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure all of the cheese is incorporated. When the marscapone filling is light and fluffy, add in the lemon zest and cointreau and whisk a little more.

If using a single cake, cut it in half and fill the middle with the frosting. If using two cake, simply layer it.

*** All-Purpose KitchenAid Pasta Dough

• 4 large (not XL, not medium, LARGE) eggs
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups sifted bread flour (or substitute all-purpose in a pinch)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Place eggs, water, flour, and salt in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater. Turn to speed 2 and mix 30 seconds.

Exchange flat beater for dough hook. Turn to speed 2 and knead 2 minutes. Remove dough from bowl and hand knead for 1 to 2 minutes. Let it rest for 20 minutes. Divide dough into 4 pieces before processing with Pasta Sheet Roller attachment.

Yield 20 oz fresh pasta, 8 servings, 6 WW PointsPlus each. (48 PointsPlus total).

Spaghetti: setting 5

Whole Grilled Trout

• 2 whole trout
• 1 Tbsp olive oil, DIVIDED
• 1 pinch coarse sea salt (or kosher salt) to taste
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
• 1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

Preheat grill to high heat and lightly oil the grate. If you have a grill basket, use that.

Rub each trout generously with olive oil and salt; sprinkle the inside cavities with salt and pepper. Place half the and onion slices into cavity of each trout, and place a sprig of rosemary and thyme into cavities.

Turn preheated grill down to low and place the trout directly on the grill; cook until fish flakes easily and the skins are browned, about 6-7 minutes per side, flipping once.

Makes 2 servings, 1 PointPlus per ounce.

*** Shrimp and Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Spicy Champagne Sauce

Ravioli

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 cups wild mushrooms, sliced (sub brown cremini if you can't find fancy mushrooms, MORE below)
• 2 Tbsp shallots, finely diced (MORE below)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream (MORE below)
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• salt
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1 lb fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 Tbsp breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (MORE below)
• Pasta dough! (you can sub eggroll wrappers if necessary)

Sauce

• 3 Tbsp shallots, finely diced
• 1 cup wild mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup white champagne
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Hot sauce, to taste

Pasta dough!

If using fresh pasta dough, make it now.

Make the filling: 

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 cups mushrooms, 2 Tbsp shallots, and garlic. 

Cook until mushrooms are tender, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cream, lemon juice, salt and cayenne pepper. 

Simmer until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Add in the shrimp, stirring frequently, until pink and firm, about 3 minutes. 

Place the shrimp mixture in a food processor and pulse to roughly chop. Add the breadcrumbs and cheese. Set aside to cool.

Fill ravioli/wrappers:

Once the filling is cool, fill the ravioli or wrappers. Once they're made, place them in boiling water until they float, anywhere from 3-6 minutes.

Sauce:

Place the remaining shallots and mushrooms, along with the champagne, into a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until the champagne is almost evaporated, with about 2-3 tablespoons left in the pan. Lower the heat and add the heavy cream and hot sauce. Add in any leftover filling. Stir and cook a few more minutes until slightly thickened.

Makes 6 servings. 15 WW PointsPlus, before pasta dough or wrappers.