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Ricotta Gnocchi with Meyer Lemon & Tarragon Butter Sauce


Ricotta Gnocchi with Meyer Lemon & Tarragon Butter Sauce

Recipe by Chef Chris Johnson
You will definitely impress your dinner guests when you tell them you made this gnocchi from scratch. Take it up a notch and make the fresh ricotta, too.

Ingredients
  

RICOTTA GNOCCHI

  • pounds about 2¾ cups fresh ricotta, drained
  • 1½ to 2 cups flour plus more for rolling
  • 2 eggs
  • ounces Parmesan grated (1 cup)
  • 1 tablespoon roughly chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon minced chives
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg

MEYER LEMON AND TARRAGON BUTTER SAUCE

  • ½ cup white wine
  • 2 sprigs tarragon
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 1 shallot thinly sliced
  • Juice and zest of 1 Meyer lemon
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ¾ pound 3 sticks unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
  • Salt to taste

Instructions
 

RICOTTA GNOCCHI

  • In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together and knead until a sturdy dough forms, about 5 minutes.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a simmer.
  • On a flat, heavily floured surface, hand-roll dough into ropes as thick as a quarter. Cut ropes into 1-inch-long pieces, and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gently slide gnocchi into simmering water; they will sink to the bottom of the pot. When gnocchi rise to the top and float for about 30 seconds, remove from water, and spread out on lined baking sheet.

MEYER LEMON AND TARRAGON BUTTER SAUCE

  • In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine wine, herbs, shallot, and lemon juice and zest. Reduce mixture until a light syrup forms and most of the liquid is gone.
  • Add cream, and continue to cook, reducing the liquid by a little more than half.
  • Turn the burner to low, and add a single piece of butter, whisking until thoroughly combined. Continue adding butter, one piece at a time, until the sauce begins to emulsify, after which larger amounts of butter can be added. Gently drop in gnocchi, stirring to coat in the sauce. Salt to taste, and serve warm.

Notes

Katherine Hysmith

Katherine was a social media intern for culture and a fan of all things Southern. Born and raised in Texas, Katherine recently moved up north to pursue a graduate degree in the Gastronomy Program at Boston University. When she's not researching for her Master's thesis or dreaming about jalapeno cheese poppers, Katherine writes on her own blog The Young Austinian ( http://www.youngaustinian.com/ ).

Photographer Ekaterina Smirnova

Ekaterina Smirnova (Kate) was born in Russia in a city called Yaroslavl. She came to the US when she was 17 years old to go to college. After graduating with a BA in Communications, she studied photography at NESOP. After assisting and shooting in corporate in-house studios, Kate chose to follow her passion and has been shooting food for the last five years.

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