How to make cheese sauce for Italian sausage gnocchi
Prior to my high cholesterol diagnosis, I enjoyed making Italian sausage gnocchi with a parmigiano reggiano butter cream sauce. Unfortunately, I've forgotten how to make the sauce. I remember using butter, cornstarch or flour (can't remember which), cream, and cheese. Does any food 52er know how to make this type of cheese sauce. My son requested this for his birthday dinner tomorrow night so I'd like it to turn out as he remembered from his childhood. Thank you!
You can just do a bechamel with cheese. You melt butter, whisk in flour, then warm milk until thickened and stir cheese in at the end. I don't usually use a recipe, but Larousse uses 3 T butter, 6 T flour and 2 cups milk (which has been steeped with onion, bay leaf and mace). Add a little nutmeg and about 3 oz or so of your cheese of choice. I find that creamy enough but you could certainly stir some cream in as well. Or take it up a fatty-licious notch and make a mornay. Silver Spoon calls for blending a yolk with 1/2 c cream. Stir 1 cup each swiss and parmesan into the hot bechamel sauce then add the yolk mixture.
For a creamy gnocchi sauce, I'd probably do a simple 'alla panna' (instead of a bechamel, with flour.) Really simple - just melt a couple tablespoons of butter, add about a cup of cream, pinch of nutmeg and cayenne, and simmer until it thickens a bit. Stir in some grated parm, and s&p if needed. (Peas and/or sauteed mushrooms are also nice with a pasta alla panna.) Very rich, but the gnocchi only need a light coating, not to be swimming in sauce. Serve more grated parm on the side...delicious.
