Gnocchi à la Parisienne with Girolles and Comté

⏱ 75 min · Serves 4

Feather-light choux dumplings, poached then gratinéed in a nutty Comté cream, crowned with buttery girolles and a whisper of tarragon. It's the sort of dish that makes a Tuesday feel like a table in the 6th arrondissement — and it's far more forgiving than it sounds.

Per serving: 842 kcal · 33.0g protein · 45.0g carbs · 60.0g fat

Ingredients

• For the gnocchi Parisienne:
• 250ml whole milk
• 100g unsalted butter, diced
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• Pinch of grated nutmeg
• 150g plain flour, sifted
• 4 medium eggs, at room temperature
• 60g Comté, finely grated
• 2 tbsp finely chopped chives
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• For the Comté cream:
• 30g unsalted butter
• 25g plain flour
• 350ml whole milk, warmed
• 100ml double cream
• 120g Comté, grated
• Fresh grating of nutmeg
• For the girolles:
• 300g girolles (chanterelles), trimmed and brushed clean
• 30g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 small shallot, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp dry white wine
• 1 tbsp chopped tarragon
• Sea salt and black pepper
• To finish:
• 30g Comté, grated
• 2 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
• Small handful of pea shoots or watercress

Method

1. Make the panade: bring the milk, butter, salt and nutmeg to a rolling boil in a heavy saucepan. Tip in all the flour at once and beat hard with a wooden spoon until it forms a smooth ball, then keep stirring over medium heat for 2 minutes to dry it out — it should leave a light film on the pan base.
2. Off the heat, beat in the eggs one at a time, waiting until each is fully absorbed. The dough should be glossy and drop reluctantly from the spoon. Beat in the 60g Comté, chives and Dijon. Cool for 10 minutes, then scrape into a piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm plain nozzle.
3. Bring a wide pan of well-salted water to a bare simmer (no bubbles breaking hard). Pipe the dough over the water, cutting 2cm lengths with a wet knife directly into the pan. Work in two batches. Poach for 3–4 minutes, until the gnocchi puff and float, then lift out with a slotted spoon into a bowl of iced water.
4. Drain the gnocchi well and pat dry on a tea towel. They can sit, lightly oiled, for a few hours at this point.
5. Make the sauce: melt the butter, whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the warm milk, then the cream, and simmer 5 minutes until it coats a spoon. Off the heat, stir in the 120g Comté until smooth. Season with nutmeg, salt and plenty of pepper.
6. Sear the girolles: heat the oil in a wide frying pan until shimmering. Add the mushrooms in a single layer and cook undisturbed 2 minutes, then toss for 2 more. Add the butter, shallot and garlic; cook 2 minutes until fragrant. Deglaze with the wine, season, and stir through the tarragon.
7. Heat the grill (broiler) to high. Fold the gnocchi and two-thirds of the girolles into the sauce and spoon into a buttered gratin dish. Scatter over the remaining 30g Comté and the panko.
8. Grill 5–7 minutes until blistered and golden. Rest 3 minutes, then top with the reserved girolles and a tumble of pea shoots. Serve straight from the dish.