Thomas Keller, the owner of Per Se, French Laundry, Bouchon and many other fantastic restaurants, is one of my favorite Chefs of all time. I love his cooking style - Classic French techniques but with a modern flair - and I think he is one of the most innovative Chefs of all time. I was lucky enough to spend some time in the Per Se kitchen back in the fall and thought it was such a magical place. The kitchen itself is stunning, unlike any typical kitchen you see at restaurants. It almost looked like a kitchen you’d find in Williams Sonoma….perfect, bright, and unique.

I own all of his cookbooks, and found a recipe the other day in the Bouchon cookbook that I wanted to try: Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables.

I changed it up a bit, both in the ingredients, and in some of the techniques:

  • The recipe calls for Olives in the sauce, but I am not a fan of Olives so I omitted those
  • I cooked the tomatoes with the Zucchini so that they would blister and in effect, when you bite into them, they just pop in your mouth (amazing)
  • I also omitted some of the herbs he used in the Gnocchi and highlighted the Chives and Parsley instead
  • In addition, I may have added just a litttttttllleee more butter than he calls for…whatever, I do what I want.

This dish is perfect for the Spring/Summer because the ingredients used (Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Tomatoes, Herbs) are all in season.

This is a super impressive meal to serve, and is great as a pasta course or as a main course.

Herb Gnocchi

Prep Time

5 Minutes
Cook Time

15 Minutes
Total Time

20 Minutes
Yield

Makes about 100 Gnocchi

Ingredients

  • 3/4 Cup Water
  • 6 T Butter
  • 2 tsps Salt (divided)
  • 1 Cup sifted Flour
  • 1 Tablespoon Chives (minced)
  • 1 Tablespoon Parsley (minced)
  • 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
  • 1/2 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 3 Eggs

Directions

  • Have all of your ingredients ready because this is a fast process. Fit a large stand mixer with the paddle fixture. In a medium sauce pan, combine your water, butter and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer, then dump in all your flour at once. Stirring constantly over a medium heat, cook for about 3-5 minutes (adjusting the temperature as you cook so as not to burn the dough).
  • Once the mixture has come together and you can start to smell the faint smell of cooked flour, dump the entire mixture into your stand mixer. Start the mixer on a low setting and add in your parsley, chives, salt and mustard. Mix for about 20 seconds to help release some of the heat from the dough. Add in your cheese and continue to mix.
  • Add in one egg at a time, mixing on a medium speed. Wait until each egg is incorporated in the dough before adding the next egg. Once all the eggs are mixed in turn off the mixer, and place your dough in a piping bag fitted with a 5/8" circular nozzle. Let the dough rest in the bag while your start on the next step.
  • Have two sheet trays ready - one lined with paper towels, the other lined with parchment paper. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Start to pipe out small 1 inch long Gnocchi into the water (about 25 Gnocchi per batch). Once the Gnocchi rise to the surface of the water, let them cook another 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on the sheet tray lined with the paper towels. Repeat this process until all of your Gnocchi dough has been used up.
  • Transfer your Gnocchi to the sheet tray lined with parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before using in a sauce.

Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables

Prep Time

5 Minutes
Cook Time

10 Minutes
Total Time

15 Minutes
Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 Recipe Herbed Gnocchi
  • 1 Zucchini
  • 1 Yellow Squash
  • 8 oz Grape Tomatoes
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 8 T Butter (divided)
  • 5 Sage Leaves (julienned)
  • 2 T minced Chives
  • 1 Tablespoon minced Parsley
  • Lemon Juice (fresh) (from 1 lemon)

Directions

  • Cut your zucchini and squash in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape out the seeds. Then cut on a bias 1/4" thick. Heat up a large saute pan with enough Olive Oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is hot, add in your zucchini, squash, and tomatoes. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste.
  • Saute your veggies for about 5-8 minutes, getting just a little color on them. Transfer them to a plate lined with a paper towel.
  • In the same saute pan, add 3 Tablespoons of butter, and add in your gnocchi. Cook, shaking the pan continuously so as to brown the outsides of the Gnocchi and prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add in your Sage leaves and cook another minute. Add back your Zucchini, Squash and Tomatoes, along with your Chives. Cook another 2 minutes, then remove from heat and plate.
  • Meanwhile, in a small saute pan, melt 5 Tablespoons of butter and cook about 4 minutes, until it starts to brown. Quickly add in your parsley and then the juice of the lemon (this will splatter so be careful). Once the lemon juice is in, remove from heat and spoon over your plated Gnocchi. Serve immediately.