Herb Gnocchi Mushroom Consommé
This recipe will be sure to impress
Makes enough for: 4 people
Ingredients
For the mushroom consommé
- 20 g butter
- 1 small red onion, peeled and finely diced
- 2 l chicken stock
- 300 g mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 5 mls fine salt
- 4 egg whites
- 15 mls fresh chives, thinly sliced
For the oven-baked tomatoes
- 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
- Salt to season
- olive oil for drizzling
For the pickled mushrooms
- 50 mls water
- 50 mls white wine vinegar
- 20 g fructose
- 60 g shimeji mushrooms
- 40 g shiitake mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 6 white peppercorns
For the herbed gnocchi
- 350 g baby potatoes
- 40 g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 50 g flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
- 10 g flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 5 mls fine salt, plus extra for boiling
- 20 g butter
Method
For the mushroom consommé
- Place the butter into a large stock pot over a medium temperature and allow to melt
- Once heated, add the onion and sauté until soft
- Then add the stock, mushrooms and salt and bring to a simmer
- Leave to simmer for 20 minutes then pass through a fine
sieve into a clean saucepan - Leave to cool for 20 minutes then whisk your egg whites to soft peaks
- Add the egg whites to the consommé and whisk together vigorously until combined
- Place over a medium to low temperature and bring to a gentle boil - do not stir the consommé!
- When the egg has coagulated and formed a ‘crust’ on the surface, skim it off as carefully as possible
- Pass through a lined fine sieve into a clean saucepan and adjust the seasoning
- Leave on a low temperature to keep warm
For the oven-baked tomatoes
- Preheat the oven to 150° Celsius
- Place the tomatoes, cut side up on a baking tray
- Sprinkle over the thyme leaves and salt and drizzle with olive oil
- Bake for 20 minutes until the tomatoes are soft
- Remove from the oven
For the pickled mushrooms
- Place the water, vinegar and fructose into a saucepan over a medium to high temperature
- Bring to the boil and once the fructose has dissolved, add the mushrooms, thyme and peppercorns
- Remove from the heat and leave to cool, then drain
For the herbed gnocchi
- Pour water into a saucepan that has a steamer basket *
- Place the potatoes into a steamer, and steam until cooked
- Top the water up, add salt and bring to the boil while you make the gnocchi
- Mash the potatoes using a ricer, discarding the skins and weigh out 550 grams
- Place the mashed potato into a bowl and add the cheese, flour, egg, parsley and salt
- Gently mix together then turn out onto a lightly floured surface
- Divide into 100g balls and roll each one into 1cm-thick sausage shapes
- Use a pastry cutter to cut 2cm pieces
- If you have a gnocchi roller you can roll each one at this stage (optional)
- Place all of the pieces onto a lightly floured board until you are ready to cook them
- Gently drop the gnocchi into the boiling water about 10 at a time to not crowd the pot
- When they rise to the surface, remove using a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel
Putting it all together
- When the gnocchi are dry but still warm, add the butter to a large frying pan over a medium temperature
- Sauté the gnocchi in the butter until golden brown on both sides
- Warm 4 bowls in the microwave for 30 seconds
- Divide the tomatoes, mushrooms and gnocchi between each bowl
- Garnish with the chives
- Decant the consommé into a teapot or jug and pour over the gnocchi **
Notes
* if you don't have a steamer basket, cook the potatoes in the microwave
** I took the teapot to the table and let my guests pour how much they wanted
** I took the teapot to the table and let my guests pour how much they wanted