Gnocchi with Truffle Cream Sauce

One of my most favorite dishes of all time is gnocchi with truffle oil cream sauce. I first encountered this delectable dish at List, one of Seattle’s best happy hour hot spots; all the food is half off! Each bite of List’s gnocchi melts in your mouth. The gnocchi is soft, pillowy, and airy, and the cream sauce is so rich, yet light. I just HAD to replicate this dish at home.

I followed this recipe from Tyler Florence for the gnocchi. For my first time making gnocchi, it was easier than I thought. The trick is to get the dough to be the right consistency without overworking it. Too floury, and it sinks when it boils and is too dense. Not enough flour and it comes apart in the water. When rolling the gnocchi out, you want to roll OUT, putting pressure out as you roll, not down toward your work surface. This will help keep the gnocchi light. With Jeff and my sister helping me make the gnocchi, our gnocchi pieces were not very uniform. And that’s okay. They were  still good!

For the cream sauce, I created my own recipe to replicate List’s sauce as best I as I could. I opted for healthier ingredients. Instead of butter, I used olive oil. Instead of heavy cream, I used skim milk. To be honest, my own sauce was just as rich and creamy as List’s. No need for the extra calories.

Truffle Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 head shallot, minced
¼ cup olive oil
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups non-fat milk
¼ cup flour
1 tsp white pepper
½ tsp nutmeg
¾ cup parmesan cheese
salt to taste
1 tbsp black (or white) truffle oil

Directions:

1. Heat stainless steel wide saucepan to medium. Add the olive oil and heat. Lower heat to low. Add the garlic and shallots and saute until softened and fragrant.
2. Add chicken stock and milk and whisk together. Bring to a boil on high then immediately bring back to low.
3. Whisk in some of your flour to thicken the sauce, stirring constantly to prevent clumps.

4. Add nutmeg and white pepper and whisk.
5. Reduce down for at least 30 minutes. Add flour to thicken or milk to thin, depending on your preferences.
6. Just before serving, whisk in grated parmesan cheese and whisk until smooth. Add truffle oil and stir again. Serve over fresh, hot gnocchi. Voila!

I like to serve my gnocchi with caramelized onions and mushrooms that have been cooking on low heat for at least an hour.

To caramelize onions and mushrooms together, simply saute on low heat in olive oil, add some salt and pepper, a few splashes of balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, and let cook for an hour. There you have it. A lovely side to gnocchi.

About these ads