Diablotins

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 2-quart saucepan
• •Wide saucepan for poaching
• •Wooden spoon
• •Piping bag with ⅜-inch plain tip or sturdy freezer bag
• •Kitchen shears
• •Slotted spoon
• •Shallow broiler-safe gratin dish, about 10 by 7 inches

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare for service

   Set a broiler rack about 4 inches from the element and preheat the broiler thoroughly. Butter a shallow broiler-safe gratin dish with about one teaspoon of the finishing butter. Bring the poaching water and its tablespoon of salt to a simmer in a wide saucepan. Everything must be ready now, because the finished Diablotins will not improve while you search for the cheese.

   Use a metal or explicitly broiler-safe ceramic dish. Ordinary glass can fail under such fierce direct heat.
2. 2

   Cook the panade

   Bring the milk, four tablespoons of butter, and the half teaspoon of salt just to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Take the pan from the heat, add all the flour at once, and beat firmly with a wooden spoon until no dry pockets remain. Return it to low heat and beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until the panade, the cooked flour paste, gathers into a smooth ball and leaves a thin film on the pan. This drying gives the eggs somewhere to go; a wet panade makes gnocchi that dissolve in the water. Let it cool for 3 minutes.

3. 3

   Beat in eggs

   Beat in the first egg a little at a time, waiting for each addition to disappear before adding more. Add the second egg by spoonfuls until the paste is smooth, glossy, and falls from the spoon in a heavy V rather than pouring. Egg sizes differ, so the final teaspoon may not be needed. If the paste begins to flow, stop adding egg. Ça se rattrape: beat it firmly for 30 seconds, then chill it for 10 minutes before testing.

4. 4

   Poach them small

   Transfer the paste to a piping bag or sturdy freezer bag cut to make a ⅜-inch opening. Keep the water at a bare simmer. Pipe over the pan and snip off ⅜-inch lengths with damp kitchen shears, making only a dozen for the first batch. Poach one test gnocco first; if it frays, lower the heat and chill the remaining paste for 10 minutes. Once sound, poach in uncrowded batches until the gnocchi rise, then give them another 60 to 90 seconds so their centers set. They should swell only to the size of small marbles.

5. 5

   Drain without waiting

   Lift each batch with a slotted spoon onto a clean towel and roll the gnocchi lightly so no water clings to them. Wet gnocchi dilute the butter and prevent an even crust. Transfer them directly to the buttered gratin dish in one close layer, then dot with the remaining finishing butter. Do not rinse them, pile them deeply, or leave them sitting in water.

6. 6

   Form the gratin

   Apply the rapid form of Gratins (No. 268): scatter the Gruyère evenly over the hot gnocchi, then dust the cayenne from high above so no bite receives a fiery pocket. Broil for 1 to 3 minutes, turning the dish once, until the cheese melts into a thin butter-gold crust with bronze freckles and the rim bubbles. Watch continuously. If one edge colors too quickly, rotate the dish and shield that patch with a small piece of foil. Carry the dish straight to the table; held waiting, the gnocchi turn tough. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The gnocchi must be very small. A ⅜-inch piping opening and equally short cuts give the cheese enough surface to cling to while the centers remain tender.
• •Choose a firm, well-flavored Gruyère that grates cleanly. Comté is an honest substitute, though it brings a sweeter, nuttier finish.
• •Cayenne is punctuation here, not the sentence. Mix the measured pinch with a spoonful of the grated cheese if you want the most even distribution.
• •Broilers vary wildly. A pale crust means the dish is too far from the element; move it closer for short bursts instead of leaving the gnocchi underneath long enough to dry.
• •Serve Diablotins beside a roasted bird, veal cutlet, or plainly cooked green vegetables. A crisp dry white wine suits the butter and cheese without crowding them.

Advance Preparation

• •Grate the Gruyère, measure the cayenne, and butter the gratin dish up to one day ahead. Keep the cheese covered in the refrigerator.
• •The finished paste may be made up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated with parchment pressed against its surface. Let it stand for 10 minutes if it becomes too firm to pipe.
• •Do not poach or gratin the Diablotins in advance. The short passage from water to broiler is what preserves their tender centers and crisp cheese crown.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 145g)