The gnocchi recipe is taken from Thomas Keller's Bouchon.
The sauce can be made ahead of time and reheated when serving. The pasta dough needs to be made at least 30 minutes before you cook it.
Tomato Sauce
Raised a good little Italian girl we definitely have a family recipe, but I was intrigued by a new recipe I came across recently and really wanted to give it a try because it started with fresh whole tomatoes. It definitely has a different taste than your typical sauce. I think it would work best with pizzas and as a dipping sauce, but it worked well enough with the gnocchi (though they were so good, next time I'm just serving them with brown butter).
Ingredients:6 large tomatoes, halved
1 stalk from a fennel bulb, chopped coarsely
1/2 pod of vanilla
Salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 bay leafs
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 large bunch basil, roughly chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1. Place large stock pot over medium high heat. place tomatoes, cut side down, into pot.
2. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and sugar. Add fennel and vanilla.
3. Let the tomatoes cook for about 3 minutes, then press down on them gently with, well anything (potato masher, can, wooden spoon) to release the juices.
4. Reduce the heat to barely a simmer and let it do its thing for about 2 hours...stirring every now and again to keep the flavors incorporating.
5. You'll end up with a fairly thick paste.
6. Add the garlic, basil and olive oil. Stir well to mix. Ready to serve whenever. This isn't your canned tomato sauce. It will be a lot thicker than a "sauce" you typically spoon over pasta.
Parisian Gnocchi
3/4 cups water
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon salt
1 cup flour, sifted
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon each: chives, parsley, thyme
1/2 cup shredded Comte or Gruyere cheese
3 to 4 large eggs
Have everything ready to go before you start. Once you begin this is a fast moving recipe.
1. In a medium saucepan combine the water, butter and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium.
2. Add the flour all at once and stir rapidly with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan. The dough will look glossy and smooth. Continue to stir for 5 minutes making sure the dough does not color. There will be a thin coating in your pot and you will smell the flour starting to cook.
3. Remove from the heat and add to a mixing bowl (or Kitchen Aid mixer if you prefer). Add the mustard, remaining salt and herbs. Mix just enough to incorporate ingredients.
4. Add cheese and 2 eggs, one at a time beating with a wooden spoon (or your Kitchen Aid) until each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next one. Add the next egg and mix well. At this point test your batter/dough. When you stick a silicone spatula in and it doesn't move down it at all, add the last egg. If it very slowly makes it way down, don't add the last egg. Yes, the dough is one sticky mess.
5. Put the dough in a piping bag or a large freezer bag (with a hole cut in one corner to pipe through) and let it sit for 30 minutes.
6. Bring a GIANT pot of slightly salted water to boil. Really the biggest pot you have. You want the gnocchi to have a wonderful pool to swim in.
7. At the stove have the following: your dough, a knife, a slotted spoon, some paper towels to put the cooked gnocchi on.
8. Begin piping. Every 1 inch cut the dough so you have little gnocchis diving into the boiling water. Work in batches of 20. The gnocchi will drop in and rise as they cook. Once they have risen to the top...cook for another 2 minutes to avoid any raw dough or belly bomber gnocchi. You want light fluffy gnocchi. Trust me. This last part is the fun part...everyone was jumping in to help at this stage.
Serve hot and love the awesome.
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