Fresh ravioli filled the spiced pureed pumpkin, served with a spiced creme anglaise to dip your pasta in. There is certainly nothing boring about this recipe!!
Put your butternut squash in a bowl along with your vegetable oil, a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of cinnamon and a pinch of salt (no pepper). Mix together until the squash is coated in the oil and seasonings. Put the squash on a tray lined with baking paper, make sure the squash in all nice and spread out, then roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
Pour the flour onto a flat, clean surface and then use your hands to make a well. Crack your eggs into that well. Also add a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Then slowly incorporate the flour into the egg as you mix it through.
Knead the dough for about 5-10 minutes until smooth pliable. Cut the dough in half, wrap both halves in cling wrap and then rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Set up a pasta machine, with plenty of flour for dusting. Get both halves of your pasta dough out of the fridge. Unwrap the dough, dust with flour, then dust the rollers in the machine. Roll the dough through the thickest setting of the pasta machine a couple of times, then dust the dough and the rollers again. Roll the dough through the second thickest setting a couple of times. Repeat this cycle until your pasta dough is thin but not too thin. So my pasta roller's thickest setting is 1 and the thinnest is 9. I stopped rolling my dough at about 5-6. Make sure you keep dusting with flour so nothing sticks and when the dough gets too long to handle, cut it in half.
Once you have finished rolling the first half of your dough. Lay it out flat on a clean surface, then cover it with a piece of cling film or clean tea towels so it doesn't try out. Then roll the second half of your dough.
Use a pastry cutter (I used a circle pastry cutter that had a 6-7cm diameter) to cut circles out of your pasta (leaving as little space between each cut as possible).
Spoon about 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice mix onto half of your pasta disks.
Use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash on the edges of your pasta. Then lay the other pasta disks over the top. Pinch the edges so that pumpkin mixture is firmly sealed in.
Use your clean paintbrush to lightly dab the red food colouring on the ravioli to get a blood effect. Set your ravioli aside and again, cover it to prevent it from frying out.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then add your ravioli. Boil the ravioli for about 2 minutes and then use a slotted spoon to take them out.
Whisk your sugar and egg yolks in a large bowl until you achieve a pale colour.
Put your milk, vanilla, cardamom pods, star anise, nutmeg and cinnamon in a pot. Put the pot over high heat and scald the milk (meaning turn the heat off as soon as it starts to boil). Let the spices infuse in the milk for about 1-2 minutes.
Heat the crème anglaise over low heat while continuously stirring it. After about 5-10 minutes, the crème anglaise should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Use a sieve to strain the crème anglaise in a bowl, and your sauce is ready for your ravioli to dip into.
This dessert is served best warm so you can use a slotted spoon to plunge the ravioli back into hot water for 10 seconds before serving. You can also heat up your creme anglaise in a bowl over a water bath VERY lightly so it's just warm.