Creamy
Maine Lobster Broth,
Russet Potato and Lobster Coral Gnocchi
By Chef Thomas Keller,
The French Laundry, Yountville, CA
Wine
Pairing:
Byron Santa Maria Chardonnay1998
Lobster
Broth Ingredients:
(Makes 3 cups)
1 dozen Lobster Bodies
2 bunches Fresh Tarragon
1 gallon Water
3 cup Freshly Chopped Tomatoes
1/2 gallon Heavy Cream
Method:
1. Clean
the cavity, remove the gills from the lobster, and then
cut the lobster into quarters. Sear the lobster bodies
in hot oil until they begin to color. Cover with the gallon
of cold water, bring to a simmer, skim off the impurities,
add tomato product and continue to simmer for 45 minutes.
2. Strain
through a china cap and then through a chinoise or fine
sieve. Return strained stock to the stove and simmer until
it is reduced down to 3 cups. Let chill, re-heat while
vigorously whipping to a frothy consistency where air
suspends the broth "A la Cappuccino."
Russet
Potato and Lobster Coral Gnocchi Ingredients:
(Makes 20 Dozen Small Gnocchi)
2 lbs. Russet Potatoes
1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
3 large Egg Yolks
1 tbls. Lobster Coral (raw, green)
2 tbls. Kosher Salt
Method:
1. Preheat
oven to 375F, wash and season the potatoes, and bake until
tender on a baking sheet. This will take about 1 hour.
Split the potatoes, scoop out the flesh, and press it
in through a potato ricer. Place the hot potatoes on a
board or a counter. Make a well in the center. Place a
layer of about 1/2 cup flour in the well, add the egg
yolks, then add about 1/2 cup more flour, the coral and
the salt. Use a dough scraper to "chop" the
potatoes into the flour and eggs; This process should
be done quickly (15 to 30 seconds), as overworking the
dough will make the gnocchi heavy and sticky. Add more
flour as necessary. The resulting dough should be homogeneous
and barely sticky on the outside. Shape the dough into
a ball.
2. Roll
the ball of dough lightly in flour. Pull off a section
of the dough and roll it in by hand on a lightly floured
surface into a "snake" about 1/2 inch thick.
3. Cut into
1/2 inch pieces, and using your hand, roll each piece
into a ball. Then roll the balls on a gnocchi paddle or
over the back of a fork to create an oval shape with indentations.
Test one gnocchi by placing it in a pot of rapidly boiling
lightly salted water. It is cooked as soon as it floats
to the surface. Taste for seasoning and add salt to the
dough if necessary, or add flour if the gnocchi seems
mushy. Continue to form the gnocchi, placing them on a
lightly floured tray until ready to cook.
Place
the gnocchi in the boiling water. Use a slotted spoon
to remove them from the pot when they float to the surface,
and plunge them in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking
process. Store them on a parchment paper lined sheet tray,
and place them in the refrigerator if they are going to
be used right away, or in the freezer. Once frozen, they
can be stored in well sealed plastic bags, and kept frozen
for several weeks; cook them while they are still frozen.
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