Gnochi à la Romaine

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 2-quart (2-litre) saucepan
• •Balloon whisk and sturdy wooden spoon
• •Rimmed metal baking sheet
• •Offset spatula
• •2-inch (5 cm) round cutter
• •Shallow 9-inch (23 cm) broiler-safe gratin dish

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the semolina

   Reserve 1 tablespoon of the measured milk in a small cup and keep it cold. Bring the remaining milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to a full boil in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Lower the heat and scatter in the semolina in a steady rain while whisking without pause. Once it thickens, change to a sturdy wooden spoon and cook very gently for the full 20 minutes, stirring across the bottom and into the corners. It will become remarkably stiff. That is correct; the grains should taste tender, not sandy or raw.

   If the semolina seizes into lumps, take the pan off the heat, add the reserved cold milk, and whisk hard until smooth before returning it to gentle heat. Ça se rattrape.
2. 2

   Enrich off heat

   Take the saucepan completely off the heat and let the bubbling subside for 1 minute. Beat the yolk in a small bowl, work in a generous spoonful of the hot semolina, then scrape this mixture back into the saucepan and beat vigorously for 30 seconds. The tempering protects the yolk from scrambling without changing the book's sequence. Do not return the pan to the heat; its stored warmth is enough to thicken the yolk and leave the paste smooth and faintly glossy.

3. 3

   Spread and chill

   Rinse a rimmed metal tray with cold water and shake off the excess, leaving only a thin film. Scrape the hot semolina onto it and use a moistened offset spatula to form an even 8 by 10-inch (20 by 25 cm) rectangle exactly ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick. Cool uncovered for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 1½ hours, until the centre is thoroughly cold and firm. Test a corner with the cutter: if the edge bows or the paste slumps, stop and chill it for another 30 minutes. Ça se rattrape. Flour won't repair a warm slab; cold will.

   Keep the layer even. Thin patches dry under the gratin while thick ones remain heavy, so use a ruler once and then trust your eye.
4. 4

   Stamp the rounds

   Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the upper third. Brush a shallow 9-inch (23 cm) broiler-safe gratin dish with about one-quarter of the melted butter. Dip a 2-inch (5 cm) round cutter in cold water, press it straight through the chilled semolina without twisting, and lift out clean rounds. Arrange them in the dish in one slightly overlapping layer. If the cutter begins to stick, rinse it again rather than forcing the paste.

5. 5

   Form the gratin

   Mix the Gruyère and Parmesan, scatter them evenly over the rounds, and trickle over the remaining melted butter. Apply the Rapid Gratin from Gratins (No. 268): bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the rim bubbles, then turn on the broiler and brown for 1 to 3 minutes. Watch continuously. The top should be butter-gold with deep bronze freckles, not scorched. If it darkens before the rim bubbles, move the dish to the middle rack and finish at 425°F (220°C); the gratin is not lost.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Let the gratin rest for 5 minutes so the rounds settle without losing their tenderness. Bring the dish directly to the table and serve with a broad spoon, making certain everyone gets some of the bronzed top and buttery edge. These belong beside roast poultry or veal, though a sharp green salad makes them supper by themselves. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Buy fine durum wheat semolina, sometimes sold as semolino or semolina flour. Coarse semolina remains gritty within the book's 20-minute cooking time, while instant wheat cereal loses the clean, resilient set needed for stamping.
• •A metal tray chills the paste faster and more evenly than glass. Moistening it follows the source and releases the slab cleanly without adding another layer of butter beneath it.
• •Keep the trimmings. Chill them, cut them into rough pieces, and brown them in butter the next day. They won't have the formal round shape, but they have every bit of the good semolina and yolk.
• •Serve the gnochi with roast chicken, veal, or a bitter-leaf salad. A dry white from the Mâconnais has enough freshness for the cheese and enough roundness for the butter.

Advance Preparation

• •The semolina slab can be spread, cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Stamp the rounds while the slab is still thoroughly cold.
• •The rounds can be arranged in the buttered dish up to 24 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate them without the cheeses or finishing butter, then add those just before baking. Allow an extra 3 to 5 minutes in the oven before applying the Rapid Gratin.
• •Leftover cooked gnochi keep for 3 days under cover in the refrigerator. Reheat them at 375°F (190°C) until the butter gleams and the edges begin bubbling, then refresh the top briefly under the broiler.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 185g)