Hamptons Lane is a monthly gourmet food subscription box. Each month you get to preview the theme, and you can opt out if it’s not for you.
Hamptons Lane sent us this box for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
FYI – if you are interested in this box, it is still available as of today if you sign up for a subscription.
The Subscription Box: Hamptons Lane
The Cost: $47 a month (option to skip any month)
The Products: Artisan food products centered around a new theme each month.
Ships to: US only, extra shipping costs for Alaska and Hawaii
Keep track of your subscriptions: Add Hamptons Lane to your subscription list or wish list!
Check out our past reviews of Hamptons Lane or visit the Food Subscription Box Directory for more food boxes!
This month’s theme is The Pasta Box.
The info sheet that comes with the box details all of the items included.
On the reverse, Hamptons Lane lists a couple of recipes that utilize the ingredients and tools in the box.
Trio of Ravioli Stamps by Eppicotispai (Round, Square, and Triangular)- value $24
Hamptons Lane sends out spoilers each month before the boxes ship, and I was VERY excited to receive these ravioli stamps. The stamps are used to seal the pasta dough around the ravioli filling and/or cut the ravioli into shapes. Seeing them in person, the sizes vary more than I was expecting. So, instead of just having a variety of stamps with different shapes, I’m now also able to make ravioli in different sizes. The square stamp is the largest (2.5” x 2.5”) and the triangular stamp is the smallest (at maybe ½ the size of the square one).
Urbani Black Truffle and Mushroom Sauce- 6.1 oz, value $10
Squid Ink by El Jison- 4 packets (.14 oz each), value $3.25
This black truffle and mushroom sauce is loaded with black truffles, mushrooms, and pure ingredients that are meant to accentuate the truffle flavor. In addition to being served over pasta, it can also be spread on toast or drizzled over meat or fish.
Squid ink is used regularly in Italian and Spanish cuisine. When added to pasta, it adds a salty, oceany note to the noodles. Looking over the packets, I was surprised to discover that this is actually cuttlefish ink! Here’s a close-up of the packets:
I had no idea that “squid ink” could come from other cephalopods too. (Forgive me for geeking out, but the cuttlefish is one of my favorite animals!)
Antimo Caputo Italian Superfine "00" Farina Flour- 2.2 lbs, value $4.99
“00” flour is finely milled, high in protein, perfect for pizza and pasta, and hard to find in US grocery stores. When used in pasta, the resulting dough is supple and yields noodles that are extremely tender.
Pasta Drying Rack by Weston- value $12 (on sale for $9.99)
This might be the item I was most excited about. I’ve wanted a pasta drying rack for years and I never got around to buying one, so, for me, this is a welcome addition to the box!
Tagliatelle Pasta Cutter by Eppicotispai- value $7
This is another really cool tool for pasta making. When I’ve made noodles in the past, I’ve always cut them by hand (which can be pretty time-consuming). I was excited to try this cutter instead.
In addition to the two recipes Hamptons Lane printed on the back of the info card, there are also quite a few recipes available on the Hamptons Lane website. I couldn’t wait to try out my new pasta making equipment, but I had a difficult time deciding which recipe to make first! Ultimately, I couldn’t just narrow it down to one, so I decided to make both the Truffled Squid Ink Tagliatelle and the Ricotta Beet Ravioli with Brown Butter Thyme Sauce.
Recipe #1- Truffled Squid Ink Tagliatelle:
I made the Squid Ink Tagliatelle first. The dough was very straightforward and required only three ingredients: “00” flour, eggs, and squid ink.
I’ve made pasta a few times before, but even if I hadn’t I think I would have been able to follow the instructions pretty easily. The recipe was well written with clear, detailed instructions.
Once the dough was ready, I rolled it out and cut it into tagliatelle using the pasta roller. The roller had a bit of a learning curve, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly. (I was expecting the roller to completely cut the noodles out of the dough, but it was more of a scoring tool. After using it, I had to peel each individual noodle away from the rest of the dough. This wasn’t too difficult or time-consuming, though, and they came free without any trouble.)
Once all of the noodles were cut, I let them sit on the drying rack for 30 minutes.
After the pasta finished drying (note: it was still pretty soft) I boiled it in salted water, heated the can of sauce, and voila!
The pasta was beautifully tender and the sauce was incredibly decadent. I didn’t get a lot of flavor from the ink, but it could be that the truffle sauce overpowered the subtle, salty flavor. Still, I really enjoyed this dish!
Recipe #2- Ricotta Beet Ravioli with Brown Butter Thyme Sauce:
I’m a sucker for anything made with brown butter, so I knew right away I had to try the Ricotta Beet Ravioli! The difficulty level for this recipe seemed to be a bit higher than the last one, and I appreciated that Hamptons Lane provided recipes that might be appropriate for cooks with varying degrees of experience. (That said, I think it would be great if they tagged each recipe with a difficulty rating, so subscribers could get a sense of the recipe’s difficulty level without reading through it themselves.)
Before I could make the dough for this recipe, I had to roast and puree two medium beets. As soon as the puree was cool, I made the dough. The beet puree turned the dough a lovely shade of pink.
The ravioli filling was very easy to make. (There was a typo in the recipe, though, that gave me a moment of pause.) After chilling and resting the dough, I thinly rolled it out and scooped on the ravioli filling.
I topped it with another sheet and cut out the ravioli using the round ravioli stamp.
While I brought the water up to a boil, I made the brown butter sauce.
(At this point, I learned an important lesson about making ravioli. A few of the ravioli had started to ooze filling from their seams, and I realized that the filling hadn’t been perfectly centered in the middle. I only lost a few ravioli to this mistake, but next time I’ll make sure the filling isn’t touching the part of the pasta I’m trying to seal.)
I boiled the ravioli for about 5 minutes and then topped them with the brown butter sauce.
This dish was delicious, and I was so impressed by how the ravioli turned out! I loved how the thyme added a light, fresh taste to the pasta. I would definitely make these again, and I think they’d be great served with a bright, citrusy salad. I liked using the ravioli stamps, and I’m already planning what type of ravioli to make next. According to Hamptons Lane, fresh ravioli is best when it’s cooked right away, but you can dust it in flour, dry it slightly, and store it in the fridge or freezer. I might try freezing some!
Verdict: This is one of my favorite boxes of all time. I thought the products and tools included in the box were expertly curated, and I was very impressed by the recipes Hamptons Lane chose to feature. I love that they sent almost everything I needed to make pasta right away, but that I also now have pasta making tools that will last for years to come. The value of the box adds up to around $60, so I’m happy with that for the $47 cost. I would definitely recommend this box for adventurous home cooks and foodies!
What do you think of The Pasta Box Hamptons Lane box?
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.