Ravioli in Brown Butter Sauce

Ah, Giada. I love you even though you're so skinny. And really that's just me being jealous because deep down I know I'll never, ever, ever be that skinny. Especially if I consistently cooked like she does. My friend Jen B. always says you shouldn't trust a skinny cook, but I think Giada is the exception.

I used some Christmas money to beef up my cookbook collection...like it really needed beefing up. One that I bought is Giada's "Everyday Italian." Flipping through it I can't WAIT to make a lot of the stuff. There's a ton of yummy sounding recipes. This recipe caught my eye because I have a bag of frozen raviolis in my freezer I've been wanting to use for something (it's from Costco and taking up quite a bit of space), and she mentioned this is a great sauce for raviolis. Plus I heart brown butter. My friend Danielle brought us spaghetti with cheese and brown butter (like they make at Spaghetti Factory) after the baby was born, and it was so good. Brown butter is just so tasty, and I love how it smells. Yum.

Brown Butter Sauce
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
6 fresh sage leaves (torn into pieces) or 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a large, heavy frying pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat until pale golden, about 4 minutes. Add the sage or basil leaves and cook until crisp, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and the nutmeg. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and serve.

*****

This is my first time using fresh sage. I'm excited to try it. I was tempted to make it with basil, but I thought I'd branch out a little and expand my horizons. I forgot to buy whole nutmeg, so I'll just have to use a sprinkle of the stuff I have on hand.

*****

Mmmmm...this was yummy. Jen was right in her comment about fresh sage--I did want to rub it on my face. It was so soft. It didn't smell anything like dried sage, which always reminds me of my grandma's stuffing for Thanksgiving. It almost smelled like a Christmas tree. I think I let the butter cook a little too long, but it was still really good. I was kind of tempted to lick the pan if it hadn't still been hot. I'd like to make this more often, but it was pretty decadent, so I think it will be a once in awhile dish. But it was super easy and definitely worth making again. Once again, Giada comes through!