Fried Wild Game Ravioli

This is a showcase game dish, the kind of plate you would expect at a white-tablecloth restaurant in a hunting lodge. Wonton wrappers stuffed with a reduction of duck, pheasant, leeks, sherry, sour cherries, and praline paste, then fried crisp and dressed with a Frangelico hazelnut butter.

The filling is essentially a pan sauce cooked into solid form. Saute the diced duck and pheasant in butter, add leeks, then deglaze with sherry and red wine. Praline paste is unusual but does real work, sweetening and thickening with a toasted-nut undercurrent that echoes the Frangelico sauce. Sour cherries and demi-glace follow, the mixture reduces to a scoopable filling, then cools so it does not blow out the wrappers.

Wonton wrappers stand in for fresh pasta. Brush egg wash on the edges to seal, dust the outsides with semolina so they do not stick. Fry until golden.

The Frangelico butter pulls it all together: hazelnut liqueur reduced hard, toasted filberts, cream, then cold butter whisked in a tablespoon at a time for a glossy mount. Julienned fried zucchini, carrots, and squash on top finish the plate.

Chef Tips

• Cool the filling completely before stuffing, warm filling tears wrappers.
• Work with a damp towel over unused wrappers, they dry fast.
• Whisk cold butter into warm (not hot) sauce so it emulsifies rather than breaks.
• Fry in small batches to keep oil temperature stable.

Variations

• Swap venison or rabbit for pheasant if available.
• Use wild mushrooms in the filling for a vegetarian lean.
• Boil rather than fry for a traditional ravioli-style presentation.