GNOCCHI, GNOCCHI, WHO'S THERE?

Today's episode of From the Vault is proudly brought to you by Mother's Day...we hope you are all planning something spectacular from your kitchen (and Thermomix) for Mum this Sunday! I have a few suggestions, naturally and yes, all new, all tested and all delicious. First up the easiest gnocchi ever, and frankly soooo delicious. I have officially become a gnocchi-ophile! Keep an eye out for more gnocchi recipes and sauces to match here in the next few weeks!

Ricotta Gnocchi

Ingredients
80g Parmesan cheese cubed
230g bakers flour
450g drained ricotta cheese
Pinch salt
Pinch nutmeg

Method
Place Parmesan into TM bowl and mill for 10 seconds on speed 9.
Add remaining ingredients to TM bowl and with dial set to closed lid position, knead for 1 minute on Interval speed.
Turn out onto floured ThermoMat and divide into 5 equal portions.
Roll each portion into a long ‘snake’ and cut into equal sized pieces. You can cook them at this point, or roll them down a gnocchi board to create ridges.
Cook gnocchi in a pot of salted boiling water. (Do not add gnocchi until water has reached a rolling boil.)
When they rise to the surface, they are cooked. Remove, drain and add sauce of choice.

While the gnocchi is cooking, make the following sauce, or simply serve with some minced garlic sauteed in a little melted butter, chopped fresh herbs of choice and plenty of freshly milled Parmesan.

Fresh Pasta Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
60g Parmesan cheese cubed
½ onion peeled
1-2 cloves garlic
20g butter
Few sage leaves
450g Roma tomatoes halved
Sea salt to taste
1tbsp rapadura sugar
Freshly cracked black pepper

Method
Place Parmesan into TM bowl and mill for 10-15 seconds on speed 10 until really fine. Set aside.
Place onion, garlic, butter and sage to TM bowl and chop for 3-4 seconds on speed 6. Scrape down sides of bowl and sauté for 3 minutes at Varoma temperature on speed 1.
Add tomatoes, and seasoning and chop for 3 seconds on speed 7. Cook for 8 minutes at 100ºC on speed 2.
Puree if desired for a few seconds on speed 7. Serve over gnocchi, sprinkled with Parmesan.

Now for the really daring, Master Chef qualifiers out there, how about surprising mum with a Croquembouche? We did one with Nico Moretti earlier in the year (pictured) and have subsequently whipped up a couple for one event or another...NO SWEAT! If you have never tried Choux pastry, this is your chance to see if the Choux fits! So simple with Thermomix, even the most basic cook can achieve a Croquembouche with relative ease!

Basic Profiteroles

Ingredients
250g water
Pinch salt
100g butter
150g plain flour
4 eggs

Method
Pre-heat oven to 180-200ºC. Line 2 baking trays with paper and set aside.
Place water, salt and butter into TM bowl and cook for 10 minutes at 100ºC on speed 2.
Add flour and mix for 30 seconds on speed 4, or until you see the pastry coming away from the sides of the bowl. Cool for approximately 10 minutes.
Add eggs to the mixture by dropping one egg at a time through hole in lid as you mix for 30-40 seconds on speed 5.
Spoon mixture into piping bag or Ziploc bag with corner snipped off or use ice cream scoop to dollop pastry onto prepared trays. (Should make approximately 15-16 profiteroles.)
Bake for 15 minutes until puffed and golden. Leave in oven with door ajar to cool. When cool enough to handle, pierce side of profiterole with sharp knife and return to oven. This helps ‘dry out’ the interior of the profiterole and makes it easier to fill.

You can of course fill these with Creme Patisserie as found in your EDC, but here is a lovely Chocolate version.

Chocolate Pastry Crème

Ingredients
4 egg yolks
45g sugar
3tbsp cornflour
3tbsp cocoa
Pinch salt
250g milk
75g chocolate in chunks
25g unsalted butter

Method
Place yolks, sugar, cornflour, cocoa, salt and milk into TM bowl and cook for 7 minutes at 80ºC on speed 4.
Scrape down and add chocolate and butter and melt together for 1 minute on speed 4.
Place into heat proof bowl, cover with a cartouche of baking paper and refrigerate until use.
To pipe pastry crème, the crème must be completely cold.
This is enough crème to fill approximately 20 puffs.

And to finish it off? The toffee of course.

Caramel for Profiteroles

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
½ cup water

Method
Place sugar and water into saucepan and stir together. Heat on medium high heat until granules are dissolved. Stir once, bring mixture up to a simmer and brush down sides of pan with pastry brush dipped in water. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan and allow sugar to boil until it reaches 130ºC (approximately). It should be a lovely caramel colour and have the consistency of syrup. If you don’t have a thermometer use the hard ball test, that is; Drop a tsp of cooked caramel into a bowl of cold water. It should immediately form a hard ball of caramel that is still pliable.
Turn heat down to as low as it can go to keep caramel liquid until use.

To assemble Croquembouche;
Dip profiteroles, one at a time, into caramel and arrange in a circle on a parchment-lined serving platter or baking sheet, using the caramel to glue them together. Continue building the Croquembouche by dipping and “glueing” another, smaller ring of profiteroles on top of the first one. Continue the process until the classic cone or tower shape has been achieved. Lightly drizzle the remaining caramel over the Croquembouche to form a cobweb of spun sugar. Affix sugared almonds, metallic dragées, or flowers for decoration.

So dear reader..(s) please send us your pics. We are expecting great things from you all. Would love to have a croquembouche competition...what do you think?

PS...thanks and congratulations to Judy Edwards (the one from SA!) for her amazing recipe in Monthly Mouthful. You have won Judy, hands down, so please get in touch with us about prize selection! (Commenters will go into the draw for a maintenance pack, you will know you won, when it arrives on your doorstep! Bribery in the form of chocolate will be considered.)