I have never made gnocchi before nor have I made béchamel sauce, so I decided to cut this recipe in half. Well, truth be told, I really wanted an excuse to use the pretty, ruffled 6-inch pyrex dish I picked up at Goodwill last month.
Since my dish was so small, I used a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to scoop up the gnocchi dough. The dough was a little gooey to work with, but I managed to plop the free form balls into the simmering pot of water. I found watching them float to the surface very relaxing and even though they weren't the prettiest dumplings in the world it ended up being okay because the béchamel sauce and cheese covered them perfectly. The sauce thickened quite a bit while I was making the gnocchi, but I popped the bowl in the microwave to warm it up a bit which thinned it enough to easily spoon over the gnocchi. I topped it with a mixture of Parmesan and extra sharp cheddar cheese.
When I took it out of the oven it was all puffy and beautiful, but it quickly deflated once I set it down. My husband took one look at it and said, "Too many carbs," and didn't want to even try it which was the first time he didn't try one of my FFwD recipes, but it is also the start of him getting 'back on track' with his eating, soooo...I tried it and frankly didn't care for it. Even though I thought I had cooked the roux enough to get the raw flour taste out, I could taste nothing but flour when I took that first bite. Disappointed, I let it cool down and put it in the refrigerator. The next day I came home for work and my body was shouting for comfort food - Carbs? Oh, yeah! I scooped some of the gnocchi out and put it on a plate and heated it up in the microwave - took a bite - and was completely satisfied. The raw flour taste was gone and replaced with a creamy cheesy pie. Even though my little puffy gnocchis were all but lost - I could taste them in the cheesy doughy sauce.
While this would never replace good 'ole American Mac 'N Cheese for me, it is a dish I would make again when my husband isn't on his New Year low-carb diet.
You can find this recipe in Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Around My French Table, pp. 374-75.
You can see what other FFwD members did with this recipe over at French Fridays with Dorie.
Next French Friday: Michael Rostang's Double Chocolate Mousse Cake
It looks very tasty to me...made with all that tender and loving care...I would not be able to resist!
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, I'm not a big fan of gnocchi. It's a texture thing for me. What a wonderful presentation, though! Great work!
ReplyDeleteLOL, not the best dish right after the holidays, but I did like it. Love your extra cheesy topping and GREAT Goodwill find!
ReplyDeleteThis was a tough dish for a lot of us, I think. But love that you stuck with it - and great dish!
ReplyDeleteOh, your dish looks amazing! I'm glad the microwave tricked worked for you because it totally failed me. Lol. Oh, well! And, I like how you said the flavors melded over time. Maybe I will try this again. Love the ruffled pie pan!
ReplyDeleteHi Elaine! I'm sorry you didn't enjoy this. If you use a pastry bag and a large tip (805 or more) you can just slice out the gnocchi from there into the water. I hope you try the gnocchi again but in another way. Thanks for peeking in I always love your comments and I do so enjoy your blog. You are sooo creative. B:)
ReplyDeleteLovely photos. What kind of leaves is that on the table?
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I ignored Dorie this week and put the leftovers in the fridge - can't wait for them tonight! :)
ReplyDeleteI love the cheesy crust! I haven't tried it reheated but it seems to be getting great reviews as a leftover.
ReplyDeleteLOL - glad you got to use your pretty dish. I think I liked it better next day too.
ReplyDeleteThat John, what does HE know? Sounds like he missed a good thing! But so many dishes are better the second time around - and even the second day! Looks delicious the first day too! Kudos to the gnocchi-making!
ReplyDeleteYour dish looks very beautiful! I'm with your husband on the carb factor, but splurged for a day to check the dish out. I was concerned about the roux being so dry and the sauce being so thick, but it came together beautifully.
ReplyDeleteGreat job! Love it when a recipe lets you do and create things that you've never done before. Your final dish looks so good!
ReplyDeleteYour dish looks quite appetizing! I felt as you did! I thought it was good but not great! My husband is also on a low carb diet, so I took it to my daughter's house. We both enjoyed it but not sure I would make it again!
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't a hit in our house, either. I'm glad I tried it, but it won't happen again in my house. Love that cute little ruffly Pyrex dish, though!
ReplyDeleteI love that pie plate - it's making me want to go thrifting/antiquing to see what I can find. I only made a very small portion, but I was wondering if I'd like it better the next day. Maybe I just need to make the béchamel the day before.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos!