Sending Noods for Valentine's Day!

Beet & Dark Chocolate Puree

One of my favorite flavor bombs is combining the juxtaposition of flavors that one would usually associate with sweet things, in a savory way.

The earthy beets pair in a fun way with the bitterness of dark chocolate. I’ve also made this with milk chocolate, for a sweeter pairing.

Preparation

Rinse and please the beets.

In a foil pouch toss beets and shallot with salt, and olive oil.

Wrap pouch tightly and place in a 400F oven for approx 60 minutes or until beets are tender.

While beets are still hot, use a clean kitchen towel to peel away the skins, and squeeze the shallot from its outer peel.

Combine beets, shallot, xg, salt, and chocolate in a high-speed blender and blender on high, adding water as needed to adjust consistency.

Pass through a chinois and cool.

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Ricotta Gnudi

Gnudi - roughly translating to mean “naked” - as it is traditionally the inner ricotta filling to ravioli without any exterior dough or pasta.

This light, fluffy, cheesy, and ethereal dumpling is rather tricky to make - focusing moreso on the technique than the recipe itself.

Get creative and add chopped greens or spinach, or other cheese and flavoring for your own spin on this classic dumpling.

1 pounds ricotta, hung dry

4 tbsps parmigiano reggiano, grated, fresh

2 medium eggs

1 pinch nutmeg, freshly grated

1 cups 00 flour

1 cups semolina flour

1 tsps white pepper, freshly ground

4 tbsps butter, unsalted

Combine the hung ricotta, Parm, nutmeg, salt, egg yolk, and 2Tb flour to a large bowl until homogenous.

In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peaks.

Fold together egg whites and cheese mixture.

Scoop onto a heavily floured (00) tray and allow balls to chill for 20 minutes.

Once chilled - roll the balls in 00 flour and transfer to a tray lined with semolina until ready to cook.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and carefully poach the dumplings.

Transfer to another pan and glaze with butter and pasta water. These little guys are delicate!