Uova da Raviolo (Ravioli with an Egg Inside)

I'm at Stanford University this year participating in the Sloan Master's Program. This week, my cohort went to Washington, DC and New York, NY to meet with a variety of public and private sector leaders. As a result, I was not home to pick up my CSA share. Also as a result, I was able to try some amazing food at restaurants in both cities.  Two in particular are worth mentioning: Founding Farmers in DC and SD26 in NYC.

Founding Farmers specializes in locally sourced, well prepared food and is owned by a cooperative of farmers.  The menu offered a wide range of choices and the food was excellent.  SD26 is an upscale, modern Italian restaurant with a "high tech" feel that begins with the decor and continues through the iPad based wine list. The food was good, and not surprisingly, pricey. One dish stood out as interesting and exceptional: Uova da Raviolo.

Uova da Raviolo is essentially a big, single ravioli filled with a soft-boiled egg nested in truffled ricotta. Turns out Mario Batali has a recipe for this dish posted on the Food Network's site, so I gave it a go. The process was easier than expected. The only tips I'd share are:

• seal the ravioli with an egg wash and let them sit after sealing so the seal can cure,
• go heavy on the salt to compensate for the egg yolk, and 
• make these in the fall so you can use fresh white truffles vs. preserved

You can see my step by step process here. The SD26 Uova da Raviolo looked like this:

In terms of dealing with the box this week, I simply offered it to friends to enjoy. If they share what they do with the contents, I'll pass it along.  This week's box contained:

• Broccoli
• Lamb's Quarters
• Hearts of Little Gem Lettuce
• Baby White Turnips
• Hamburg Parsley
• Erbette Chard
• Yellow Chantenay Carrots
• Red Beets
• Red-Bearded Scallions
• Arugula

Make-ahead Brunch

Not sure about you, but our holiday mornings are filled with time together ~ visiting with family and generally relaxing. Food is always a big part of the day, but we don't want cooking to be a focal point. Our goal is to simply enjoy.

Here's a tried and true recipe for a fantastic brunch that doesn't have to be saved for holidays ~ it's a snap to prepare and would make an excellent start to any day focused on easy, relaxing time together. Hope you enjoy this as much as we do.

French Toast Baked in Honey-Pecan Sauce
Serves 2-3

4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 thick slices French bread
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Combine eggs, half-and-half, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a small bowl.  Pour half the mixture into a baking dish.  Place the bread in the pan and top with other half of egg mixture.  Refrigerate, covered, overnight.

Melt butter in a 9x13-inch baking dish and stir in the brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, and pecans.  Add the soaked bread slices.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes until puffed and brown.  Serve immediately.

Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge, InterCourses: an aphrodisiac cookbook (Memphis: Terrace Publishing, 1997)