La Mansion del Rio Chocolate Pasta with Hill Country Peach and Sun-Dried Cherries

Source: Mark Chapman - La Mansi?n del Rio, San Antonio, Texas

Pasta
2 1/2 cups semolina pasta flour
1/4 cup Valrhona cocoa powder
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Filling
6 to 8 Hill Country peaches (June Gold preferred)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 lime, squeezed
1/2 vanilla bean, slit open, seeds scraped into pan
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups sun-dried cherries
1 egg, lightly beaten for egg wash
Peanut oil

For serving
Pistachio Ice Cream, purchased or made from your favorite recipe
Pure maple sugar, to sift on top of cooked ravioli (optional)

For Pasta: Dough can be made by hand or in food processor. Sift flour and cocoa powder together. Hollow out center, add eggs and oil. Slowly work together by hand until dough ball is formed. Knead until dough is smooth and supple. (Alternatively, add ingredients to bowl of food processor and pulse until dough forms a ball. Continue to mix for 45 seconds more.) Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 20 minutes, or refrigerate until ready to prepare recipe. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Roll out each to about 1/8-inch thickness. (A pasta machine can be used to roll out dough.) Cover with plastic wrap.

For Filling: Blanch peaches in boiling water until skins release easily, then peel and cut into small, thin slices. In a saucepan, bring 1/4 cup of the sugar, honey and lime juice to a boil. Add vanilla bean with seeds. Combine the other 1/4 cup of sugar with cornstarch and toss with peaches and sun-dried cherries. Add to sugar/honey mix and cook 5 to 8 minutes on medium heat, until tender. Set aside and let cool.

Choose 2 scalloped cookie cutters, approximately 2 1/2 inches in diameter, one slightly larger than the other.

To form ravioli, cut two pieces of pasta, one with each cutter. Place smaller piece down, add about 1 teaspoon filling to middle, paint the edges with egg wash and place larger piece of pasta over top. Press down to seal.

To cook ravioli: Preheat peanut oil to 350 degrees F. Add ravioli, but do not crowd pan. Fry very briefly, just until ravioli float to the top and become crisp. Remove and place on serving plate. Indent top of ravioli with the back of a spoon, and place a small scoop of ice cream on top. If desired, sift pure maple sugar on top a and serve.

Makes about 3 dozen ravioli.