Beer Cheese Gnocchi Gratin




Welcome back to Joy and Feast. As you may have noticed the website and format, have changed, and I believe it is even better! I am extremely excited to be back and working on new content which includes videos for each post. I wanted to kick off the first post of 2016 with a recipe influenced by a friend I met two years ago around this time.

My friend in Berlin let me stay at his apartment for about a week over new years in 2013-2014. He knew that because I was a cook, I would be able to prepare one of his favorite dishes, which happened to be anything cooked Au gratin. Au gratin is a French term which essentially refers to a browned crust left behind by a sharp cheese or bread crumbs. (cookthink.com) Most commonly an Au gratin dish refers to potatoes, pasta, or vegetables that are mixed in a bechamel sauce, topped with breadcrumbs, and then baked in the oven or placed under a broiler.

Gratin dishes might be more common than one would think. Many Americans love gratin dishes like macaroni and cheese, perhaps thanks to the common boxed versions with powdered cheese. Gratin can be much, much better than a blue box of mac n cheese, and this Beer and Cheese Gnocchi Gratin proves it. I would imagine that my friend in Berlin would approve.




Beer and Cheese Gnocchi Gratin


Ingredients

  • 2 c Precooked gnocchi (or substitute fresh)
  • 2 T Unsalted butter
  • 2 T All-purpose flour
  • 4 c Whole milk
  • 1 c Amber Ale(or substitute a wheat ale)
  • 2 c Shredded cheese(I used Cheddar and Swiss)
  • 2 t Kosher salt
  • 2 t Black pepper
  • 2 t Nutmeg
Cooking Directions
  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook 2 c packaged gnocchi until they float to the surface of the boiling water, strain and set aside.
  2. Melt 2 T of butter over medium heat, once melted slowly add 2 T of all-purpose flour while continuously whisking.
  3. When the roux is a thick consistency add 4 c of Whole milk and continue to whisk.
  4. Once the roux is incorporated into the milk, add 1 c of amber ale to sauce, whisk continuously.
  5. Add 2 c of shredded cheese in several batches. Whisk the whole time until the sauce is smooth.
  6. Add 2 t of Kosher salt, black pepper, and nutmeg to the beer and cheese bechamel sauce, when fully mixed take off of heat and reserve.
  7. Heat up a skillet, take the reserved gnocchi and lightly saute in butter. Once browned add to an oven proof dish and combine with beer and cheese bechamel sauce.
  8. Add freshly grated Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs over the top of your gnocchi and sauce mixture. Cook in the oven for roughly 30 minutes. To achieve a very brown crust, place the baking dish under the broiler for a few moments. Watch until you are satisfied with the color.
Total Time: 1 Hour

Citations and Further Readings:

  • "What is gratin?." Cookthink. N.p., n.d. <http://www.cookthink.com/reference/926/What_is_a_gratin >.

    0 comments:

    Post a Comment