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Learn how to make Parisienne gnocchi with pate a choux, which is so much easier and quicker than potato gnocchi.

Parisienne Herb Gnocchi with Bacon and Brussels Sprouts in a pan

The culinary world is filled with countless chef’s, personalities, and experts. I look up to a lot of them. And the ones I look up to the most all have something in common. They are good teachers. Not necessarily in the sense that they teach classes or at a school, but they have the innate urge to teach their craft.

I refer to Alton Brown a lot because he is the one who first sparked my interest in food. He approaches food as a science and helps me understand all of the inner workings of why food works. But when it comes to the actual cooking of the food, Thomas Keller is one of the people I admire most. I read a lot from him and watch videos of him teaching and talking about food. Of course I don’t actually know him, but he seems humble. A man with 3 Michelin Stars simultaneously at two restaurants presents himself as humble and as someone who loves to teach his craft. I think that is fantastic.

Parisienne Herb Gnocchi being pan fried

I was turned on to parisienne gnocchi  at school recently. We were making them for dinner service as an accompaniment to ratatouille, and I instantly saw all the possibilities. But let’s back up for a moment. What is the difference between italian gnocchi and parisienne gnocchi, you ask? Well, parisienne gnocchi is made from pate a choux! There is no potato or ricotta involved. Just that simple pate a choux batter I’ve been obsessing over the past few weeks.

I started researching various applications for parisienne gnocchi recently, and I found this video of Thomas Keller preparing his batter and then a video of him preparing a dish with the gnocchi. He takes so much care with these simple ingredients and makes preparing this amazing dish look so incredibly easy.

Raw batter being piped through a pastry bag into boiling water

If you remember from my first post in the pate a choux series, the basic pastry dough involves only water, butter, flour, and eggs. So to make my gnocchi batter, I replaced the water with chicken stock, added some salt and some rosemary and thyme. So much more simple than italian gnocchi and just as delicious!

You start by blanching the gnocchi in water that is just simmering. Squeeze the gnocchi out of a pastry bag and cut off about 1″ lengths into the pot. They are done cooking as soon as the float. This takes no time at all really. Less than a minute. Blanch them in batches and remove from the water with a slotted spoon and allow to cool and drain on paper towels or in a colander.

Gnocchi after being boiled on paper towels before being pan fried

At this point you can use the gnocchi immediately or freeze them. I did both. A batch of pate a choux makes a little over a pound of gnocchi. You could cut the batch in half, but I say go ahead and make a full one and freeze what you don’t use to have on hand whenever you are craving some!

Ingredients measured out: onions, bacon, brussel sprouts, garlic, herbs and butter

I was inspired by Keller and his cooking technique with the gnocchi, so I wanted to do my take on it. My cast of characters: bacon, garlic, shallots, brussels sprouts, chicken stock, a little lemon juice, and butter!

Pan frying the gnocchi until golden brown

After I rendered the bacon, I cooked the gnocchi in the bacon grease. You totally don’t have to make it like this. But I think you should because… bacon.

After the gnocchis got a little color on them, the garlic and shallots joined the party followed by the brussels sprouts. This dish comes together so incredibly quickly.

Salt and pepper everything (of course) and then add a little chicken stock once the brussels sprouts are softened. A squeeze of lemon, a swirl of raw butter, and viola! You’re done. This is one of those dishes that I dream about. That I want at all hours of the day. I could definitely eat this for breakfast. Add a poached egg on top? Forget about it. Even my husband who doesn’t like brussels sprouts or bacon (I. Know.) was gobbling this up.

I think that will conclude the Pate a Choux and All it Can Do Series! What did you think? If you liked it, I would like to do a few more series posts in the future. Any ideas of what you’d like to see? Or did you hate it. You won’t hurt my feelings. Either way, we’ll go back to some regular posting for a while.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Pate a Choux and All it Can Do series here:
How to Make Basic Pate a Choux
Eclairs with Espresso Glaze and Cinnamon Whipped Cream
Homemade Beignets 
Sharp Cheddar and Thyme Cheese Puffs (Gougère)
Classic Cream Puffs

Parisienne Herb Gnocchi with Bacon and Brussels Sprouts in a pan

 

Parisienne Herb Gnocchi with Bacon and Brussels Sprouts in a pan
Yield: 4 Servings

Parisian Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage

Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

Parisienne Gnocchi is made with a pate a choux batter and is incredibly simple to throw together. The gnocchi can be made ahead of time and frozen or made fresh. I like to make them and freeze them for a quick yet elegant dinner at a moments notice!

Ingredients

For the gnocchi

  • 120 grams (½ cup) water
  • 120 grams (½ cup) milk
  • 113 grams (1 stick, ½ cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • large pinch salt
  • 120 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs

For the sauce

  • 113 grams (1 stick, ½ cup) unsalted butter
  • large pinch salt
  • 3-4 fresh sage leaves
  • Parmesan cheese, *optional, for serving

Instructions

To Make the Gnocchi

  1. Place the water, milk, butter, and salt in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Stir until butter is melted and bring the mixture up to a boil.
  2. Remove the boiling mixture from the heat and pour in all of the flour at once. Stir quickly and vigorously until it comes together into a smooth batter.
  3. Once the flour is completely incorporated into a smooth batter, bring the pot back to medium heat and flatten the mixture to the bottom of the pan. Let it sit there until you start to hear it crackling quite a bit. Use your spatula to pull the mixture to the side; if there is a thin film left on the bottom of the pan then it is dried out enough. If there is not, let it cook for a little while longer until the film forms.
  4. Turn off the heat and remove the pot from the heat. Stir the batter vigorously until most of the steam has evaporated.
  5. Off of the heat, add the eggs in one at a time. Stir vigorously between each egg until it is completely absorbed into the dough before adding the next. Continue stirring vigorously until all of the eggs are well incorporated. The batter should look smooth and glossy at this point. If making a larger batch of choux pastry, you can use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to incorporate the eggs one at a time.
  6. Transfer to a piping bag or large zipper bag. Use immediately or store in a cool spot for up to 3 hours. I find resting my choux pastry for at least one hour before piping helps it puff up.

Cook the Gnocchi

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to simmer. Place a rimmed baking sheet beside the pot.
  2. Snip off 1/2 inch off the end of the piping bag. Holding the bag over the boiling water, squeeze the mixture out of the bag, cutting it off with a paring knife into 1-inch lengths and letting them fall directly into the simmering water. Continue cutting off as many as you can in one minute, then stop.
  3. When all gnocchi have floated to the top, continue cooking until gnocchi are fully cooked to the center, about 3 minutes longer. Lift gnocchi with a fine mesh strainer or slotted spatula and transfer to the baking sheet. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and toss to coat. Repeat with remaining batter.
  4. Cooled gnocchi can be refrigerated until ready to use or up to 3 days. Toss with your favorite sauce.

To Prepare the Dish

  1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the sage leaves and continue cooking until the butter is lightly browned.
  2. Add the drained gnocchi to the hot skillet and gently begin to cook. Allow the gnocchi to get a little color before tossing. Continue cooking until all sides are browned, about 5-6 minutes.
  3. Remove the skillet from the heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Parmesan cheese if using.
© Bettie
Category: All Recipes