Special guest Wylie Dufresne joins hosts Dave and Chris to cook Parisian Gnocchi. They discuss the original recipe, their self-prescribed fusions, and turning the recipe into pizza. They also talk about restaurant updates, excitement for WD's return, and the unique qualities of Parisian gnocchi.
Parisian gnocchi can be made using a shoe pastry dough cooked until it forms a mass, then boiled and sautéed in butter.
Chef Wiley Dufresne suggests using fishing line to drop the gnocchi into boiling water for efficient cooking.
The hosts of the podcast discuss unique variations of the Parisian gnocchi recipe, such as incorporating Japanese flavors and creating a pizza-inspired version with garlic and tomato.
Deep dives
Chef Wiley Dufrein's Parisian gnocchi: Traditional technique with a twist
In this podcast episode, Chef Wiley Dufrein shares his recipe for Parisian gnocchi. The dough is made by cooking a mixture of milk, butter, and flour until it forms a mass, then adding egg yolks and cheese. Rather than using potato, the dough is made with a shoe pastry and boiled before being sautéed in butter. Wiley suggests using fishing line to quickly snip the gnocchi into the boiling water. He also mentions various garnishes and menu variations for this versatile dish.
David Chang's Japanese-inspired twist on Parisian gnocchi
David Chang takes a unique approach to Parisian gnocchi by incorporating Japanese flavors. Instead of using wheat-based flour, he opts for rice flour to make the dough gluten-free. He uses fewer eggs to achieve a drier texture and rolls out the dough before cutting it with a bench scraper. Chang creates an umami-rich butter sauce by reducing dashi and mounting it with butter. The resulting dish has a light and fluffy texture, and the sauce adds a flavorful twist to the traditional Parisian gnocchi.
Wiley Dufrein's traditional method with a fishing line technique
Chef Wiley Dufrein sticks to the traditional method for making Parisian gnocchi, using a mixture of milk, butter, and flour, cooked until it forms a mass, and then incorporating egg yolks and cheese. He suggests using fishing line as a clever and efficient way to deposit the gnocchi into boiling water. Wiley emphasizes the importance of fully cooking the flour to avoid any gummy texture, and he shares that the dish can be made in advance and sautéed in various fats. He highlights the impressive labor-intensive nature of the dish, making it perfect for special occasions.
Parisian Gnocchi Recipe and Variations
In this podcast episode, the hosts discuss their experiences making Parisian gnocchi and share their unique variations of the recipe. The first main idea revolves around the original Parisian gnocchi recipe, which includes ingredients like bread flour, milk, butter, salt, eggs, and Parmesan. The hosts discuss their individual experiences making the recipe, highlighting the challenges they faced, such as grating large amounts of Parmesan and using makeshift pastry bags. Despite the difficulties, they all find the Parisian gnocchi to be incredibly delicious. The second main idea focuses on the variations each host made to the traditional recipe. One host takes the gnocchi to Beijing and creates a dish reminiscent of a northern Chinese specialty called Gouda, which consists of small flower balls in a flavorful broth. Another host imagines the flavors of pizza incorporated into the gnocchi, adding powdered garlic, tomato powder, and Italian seasoning to the dough, then serving it with a pizza sauce and toppings. The podcast episode concludes with the excitement and satisfaction of creating unique twists on the classic Parisian gnocchi recipe.
Gnocchi Experimentation: Tokyo and Potential Future Ideas
In this part of the podcast episode, the hosts discuss further experimentation with gnocchi. One host attempts to use rice flour but encounters difficulties due to its different absorption rate of water and milk, resulting in a disappointing outcome. However, the host presents the idea of creating a large coil of gnocchi, similar to sausage coiling, and cooking it as a whole. The other host shares the idea of making a gnocchi dish inspired by the Roman classic, Cacio e Pepe. They explain the process of developing a heat-stable Cacio e Pepe sauce using sodium citrate and modified starch. Both hosts reflect on the creative process and the joy of learning from culinary experiments. The episode ends with a fun exchange between the hosts, showcasing their camaraderie and excitement for future recipe ideas.
Dave and Chris are joined by special guest Wylie Dufresne to cook and discuss one of his favorite holiday recipes: Parisian Gnocchi! Wylie explains the original recipe, then Dave and Chris describe their self-prescribed fusions for Japanese and Beijing-style fusions, respectively. Finally, Wylie recounts his experience turning his own recipe into "pizza."
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: Wylie Dufresne
Producers: Gabi Marler, Ira Chute, Victoria Valencia, and Cory McConnell
