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Gnochi au Gratin
Created by Chef Juliette
Walnut-size Parisian pâte à choux dumplings rise in the poaching pot, then settle beneath glossy Mornay and Parmesan until their edges are bronzed and their centers answer the finger with a spring.
Gnochi au Gratin (Parisian pâte à choux dumplings baked beneath Mornay) teaches control of texture. The one true thing is this: the water must poach, not bully. When each dumpling rises and answers a light touch with a spring, the pâte is set; everything afterward is generous sauce and color.
The source formula assumed a full professional batch, a pâtissier tending the pâte, a saucier with Mornay ready, and a salamander waiting to bronze the gratin. Your home equivalent is a one-third batch for four, two damp spoons for shaping, one poaching pot, and a moderate oven with a brief turn under the broiler only if needed. The separate hands are brigade scaffolding and can go. The pâte à choux, gentle poach, Mornay, and final gratin are the dish, and they stay.
Finished properly, the gnochi sit plump beneath an ivory sauce, their tops bronzed with Parmesan and butter, their centers tender but never pasty. Poach one tester before committing the batch. That single dumpling tells you everything.
Ingredients
prepared pâte à choux
Quantity
About 2 cups (475 ml / 400 g) Common Pâte à Choux (for Souffléd Fritters, Gnochi, Potatoes à la Dauphine) (No. 2374), one-third of the source batch and prepared to this entry's prescribed milk, salt, nutmeg, butter, flour, and egg proportions
Parmesan
Quantity
⅓ cup (80 ml / 38 g)
finely grated
Mornay sauce
Quantity
1½ cups (355 ml / 370 g)
warmed gently
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| prepared pâte à choux | About 2 cups (475 ml / 400 g) Common Pâte à Choux (for Souffléd Fritters, Gnochi, Potatoes à la Dauphine) (No. 2374), one-third of the source batch and prepared to this entry's prescribed milk, salt, nutmeg, butter, flour, and egg proportions |
| Parmesanfinely grated | ⅓ cup (80 ml / 38 g) |
| Mornay saucewarmed gently | 1½ cups (355 ml / 370 g) |
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