Romantic Chocolate Dinner for two by the Moonlight Recipe

Ingredients

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• Seared pork tenderloin with cocoa spice Rub shopping list
• 1 tablespoon whole white peppercorns shopping list
• 1 tablespoon whole coriander shopping list
• 4 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon shopping list
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg shopping list
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves shopping list
• 3 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa shopping list
• 4 tablespoons sea salt, preferably gray shopping list
• 2 (2-pound) boneless pork tenderloins shopping list
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil shopping list
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. shopping list
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, toast white peppercorns and coriander seeds until they begin to pop. Remove from heat and grind to fine powder in a spice mill or coffee grinder. Mix the ground pepper and coriander with remaining spices, cocoa and salt. shopping list
• Trim the pork tenderloins of fat and silver skin. Rub with a generous amount of the cocoa spice rub. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat until hot but not smoking. Sear each tenderloin on all sides until a rich brown color, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove tenderloins from heat and finish in the oven for about 10 minutes or until cooked through. shopping list
• Let the tenderloins rest out of the oven for at least 10 minutes before carving. shopping list
• Extra cocoa spice rub will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 months. shopping list
• butternut squash Ravioli with sage Brown Butter and bittersweet chocolate shopping list
• 1 small to medium butternut squash (about 2 1/2 pounds) shopping list
• 2 tablespoons dark molasses shopping list
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter shopping list
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar shopping list
• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese shopping list
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan shopping list
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon shopping list
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg shopping list
• Gray salt and freshly ground pepper shopping list
• Ravioli dough or 3/4 pound sheet pasta purchased from local Italian delicatessen shopping list
• flour, for dusting board shopping list
• 4 tablespoons sweet butter shopping list
• 8 fresh sage leaves shopping list
• 2 ounces Parmesan, for grating shopping list
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, for grating shopping list
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. shopping list
• Cut squash in 1/2 and scrape out seeds. Spread 1 tablespoon molasses in the cavity. season with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a roasting pan. Cook in the oven until very soft, about 1 hour. (See Notes.) shopping list
• Let cool to room temperature and scoop out flesh into the work bowl of a food processor. shopping list
• Puree squash until smooth, then spread on a baking sheet and return to the 375 degree oven to dry, about 10 minutes. The consistency will be like mashed potatoes. Scrape into a large mixing bowl. shopping list
• Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it begins to brown. Immediately remove from heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon molasses and all the vinegar. Add to squash with mascarpone, Parmesan, cinnamon, and nutmeg. season, to taste, with salt and pepper and mix well. The recipe can be made ahead to this point (makes 2 cups filling,) Cover well and refrigerate 4 hours or up to 2 days. shopping list
• To fill the raviolis: Lay out a sheet of pasta dough on a lightly floured board. Cut into circles with a 3 1/2 inch pastry cutter. Put 1 tablespoon squash filling in the center of 1/2 the rounds using either a pastry bag or a small spoon. Leave a 1/2-inch border all around the filling. Moisten borders with water and top with remaining rounds of dough. Press all the air out and seal firmly by pressing all around with fingertips. Lay raviolis out to dry on a lightly floured board or baking sheet and lightly flour the tops. Repeat until you run out of dough and/or filling. To cook, boil in lightly salted water until tender, about 3 minutes. Reserve 2 ounces of the cooking water. shopping list
• Uncooked, filled raviolis may be used immediately or frozen for 2 months. Lay them out on sheet pans and place in freezer until frozen. Transfer to plastic bag. shopping list
• For the sage Brown Butter: While raviolis are cooking, in a large sauté pan, melt the butter with the sage and a pinch of salt until it foams and becomes light brown. Reserve. shopping list
• On medium heat toss the cooked raviolis in the sage butter then transfer to a serving platter or dishes. Add 2 ounces of the cooking water to the pan and swirl with any residual butter. Spoon the butter sauce over the raviolis, then finish with a generous grating of Parmesan and bittersweet chocolate. shopping list
• Notes: While I prefer the flavor that oven roasting gives the squash, you can microwave the butternut squash as well for about 30 minutes, depending on the power of your microwave. You will still need to dry the puree in the oven as in the recipe. shopping list