Submitted by Ryan Wolf, Executive Chef/Food & Beverage Director, Mount Vernon Canyon Club, Golden, Colo.
(Prep time: 30 minutes; Yield: 14 servings)
Ingredients
48 ozs. whole-milk ricotta cheese
6 ea. extra-large whole eggs
4 cups fresh grated parmesan
3 ½ cups flour
1 tbsp. sea salt
2 tsp. white pepper
For the Basil Oil:
(Prep time: 15 minutes; Finished yield: ½ cup)
Ingredients
3 cups loosely packed basil
¾ cups olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt
- Blanch the basil in boiling water for 30 seconds and immediately shock in an ice bath. Drain the wet basil well before blending.
- Add the olive oil to a blender; add and blend the basil in thirds.
- Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes. Strain the oil thru a fine sieve and cheese cloth. Do not squeeze the cheese cloth, or the oil will become cloudy.
Final Procedure:
- In a large bowl stir the flour, sea salt and white pepper to combine. Add the ricotta, eggs and parmesan, and again mix well to combine. Add the flour in thirds, mixing well each time.
- In a large pot of lightly salted water, test the gnocchi to make sure it will hold its shape, and then slightly cool to test the consistency. If needed, add a little more flour and test again.
- For service: Lightly sauté the gnocchi in a basil oil (see recipe above) to add a little color and texture. Plate the gnocchi in a small bowl and finish with more basil oil, fresh chive blossoms and shaved parmesan reggiano and maldon sea salt.