Hand-Rolled Duck & Fontina...Hand-Rolled Duck & Fontina Agnolotti dal Plin in Sage Consommé

Delicate hand-pinched Piedmontese pasta filled with slow-roasted duck and rich Fontina cheese, suspended in a crystal-clear sage-infused duck consommé and finished with shaved black winter truffles.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Make the pasta dough: Mound the Tipo '00' flour on a clean work surface. Create a wide well in the center. Pour in the egg yolks and the whole egg. Gently whisk the eggs with a fork, gradually incorporating flour from the inner walls. Once a shaggy dough forms, knead vigorously by hand for 10-12 minutes until smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

2. 02

   Prepare the filling: In a small food processor, combine the shredded confit duck meat, grated Fontina cheese, minced rosemary, and nutmeg. Pulse until the mixture is cohesive but still retains some texture. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Transfer to a piping bag and chill until needed.

3. 03

   Clarify the consommé: In a cold saucepan, vigorously whisk the cold duck stock and egg whites together. Place over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the liquid begins to steam. Stop stirring as a solid 'raft' of egg whites starts to form on top. Reduce heat to a bare simmer. Create a small hole in the center of the raft to let steam escape. Simmer gently for 30 minutes. Carefully ladle the crystal-clear liquid through a damp muslin-lined sieve. Infuse the warm consommé with fresh sage leaves for 10 minutes, then strain and keep hot.

4. 04

   Roll and shape the Agnolotti: Cut the pasta dough into 4 pieces. Using a pasta machine, roll one piece at a time down to the thinnest setting (about 1mm). Lay the sheet flat. Pipe nickel-sized mounds of filling along the bottom half of the sheet, spaced 2cm apart. Fold the top half of the pasta over the filling. Pinch the pasta between each mound of filling to seal, squeezing out any trapped air. Roll the fold forward one turn, then use a fluted pasta wheel to cut along the top of the fold, and cut between each pinch to separate the individual 'plin' pockets.

5. 05

   Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a gentle boil. Cook the agnolotti for 2 to 3 minutes until they rise to the surface and are cooked al dente. Gently remove with a spider strainer and transfer directly into a warm pan with the brown butter, swirling gently to glaze.

6. 06

   Assemble and serve: Divide the glazed agnolotti evenly among four warm, shallow bowls. At the table, carefully pour the hot, aromatic sage-infused duck consommé around the pasta. Using a mandoline or truffle shaver, shave fresh black winter truffles generously over each dish immediately before serving.