Cocoa Gnocchi with Porcini & Cherries

Made by Pastry Chef Maya Erickson

Tools

  • Baking Sheet
  • Aluminum Foil
  • Large Mixing Bowl
  • Spatula
  • Knife
  • Bench Scraper
  • Large Stockpot
  • Large Saucepan

Cooking Time

2.5 Hours
Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

Directions

Cocoa Gnocchi

  1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
  2. Wash your Russet potatoes and prick them all over with a fork. Wrap each potato in aluminum foil and place in the over for about an hour, or until they are soft.
  3. When cool enough to handle, open the foil packets and slice open the potato to let the steam escape. Let cool a bit longer until you can touch the inside. Scrape the potato insides into a big mixing bowl.
  4. Mix in the olive oil.
  5. Add the salt, 00 flour, and TCHO Super Powder on top of that. Mix well with a spatula, then gently knead into a dough with your hands. Th dough should be soft and pliable, but not sticky. If the dough is too wet, add a bit more flour.
  6. Divide the dough into 8ths. Then, take each ball of dough and gently roll it with your palms until a log about ½-inch wide  forms.
  7. Using a knife or bench scraper, cut small little gnocchi from the log about ¾-inch long. Repeat with remaining dough.
  8. While rolling the dough, bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove. When the water is boiling and all of your gnocchi is cut, gently add the gnocchi and cook until they float up to the surface of the water.
  9. When the gnocchi are cooked, strain them and transfer them to a baking sheet or other flat surface and drizzle them with a little olive oil so they don't stick together.


Assembly

  1. Stem and pit your cherries, then slice them in half.
  2. Cut your Porcini mushrooms into bite-size chunks and gently score the flat side of the mushroom in a cross-hatch pattern.
  3. Dice your shallots.
  4. Heat your olive oil in a medium size saucepan over medium-high heat. When your oil is hot, add the shallots and cook until fragrant and they start to become translucent.
  5. Add the porcinis flat side down and cook them undisturbed until they begin to get golden brown. You may need a little more olive oil if the mushrooms absorb everything in the pan.
  6. When your mushrooms have gotten some color, add in your gnocchi.
  7. Sauté your gnocchi until they also begin to brown. Then, deglaze your pan with a little of the vegetable stock, loosening up the caramelized bits from the bottom of your pan.
  8. Add in your cherries and cook until they begin to soften.
  9. Add in your remaining vegetable stock and the vegan butter. Reduce over medium heat if the sauce seems loose.
  10. Plate up, sprinkle with your herbs, and dig in!