Because we haven't eaten enough butter yet

December 25, 2016 1:54 PM

My family used to make this delicious cardiac abomination from a 1970s Super Shooter cookbook. It was called something like "gnocchi Alfredo," but these "gnocchi" were made with flour, eggs, and butter - no potatoes or ricotta. We've lost the cookbook and can't find the recipe online - can you help?

So we have the Alfredo sauce down but don't remember the exact measurements for the butter, eggs, etc. I know it started by melting a stick or two of butter, dumping in a bunch of flour, stirring in eggs, and then putting the resulting concoction in simmering water until it floated (then smothering it with cream sauce). As I said, it came from a Super Shooter cookbook that had to be from the 70s or 60s that seems to have gone missing. While it's probably for the best that this recipe remains but a fond memory, we'd really like to inflict it upon ourselves again, and we're hoping to make it tonight ... Can you help?

posted by DingoMutt to Food & Drink (7 answers total)

While I don't have the exact recipe, it sounds like a spaetzle dough recipe could come close. It's a boiled German dumpling/pasta recipe that uses eggs, flour and butter, so that might make a great jumping off point!
posted by Champagne Supernova at 2:02 PM on December 25, 2016

Sounds like a dumpling to me, you may get better results with that as a search term
posted by noloveforned at 2:02 PM on December 25, 2016

Thanks! I have thought of looking for a dumping or spaetzel recipe and am sure I could come up with something that would work, but if I could provide the original recipe I would Save Christmas for the whole Dingo household. I was hoping maybe someone might have that old cookbook, but spaetzel and dumpling recipes are definitely a good backup idea!
posted by DingoMutt at 2:38 PM on December 25, 2016

I can't help you with that specific recipe but roman style gnocchi are made with semolina flour - no potatoes or ricotta. That may be the same style of gnocchi used in that recipe.
posted by nolnacs at 2:45 PM on December 25, 2016

Looking up a recipe for gnocchi Parisienne might head you in the right direction.
posted by obfuscation at 2:45 PM on December 25, 2016

I reread your question and realized you were describing pate a choux. I decided to do some sleuthing and came up with this recipe. Jacques Pepin won't steer you wrong!
posted by Champagne Supernova at 3:12 PM on December 25, 2016

That Jacques Pepin recipe looks spot on - thank you! After the recipe hunting fire drill, we all ended up being too tired to cook after all and went with store bought fare instead, but I'm still so excited to have this back in our repertoire. The New Year's Day menu hasn't been set yet so I'm going to see if we can make this happen then - stay tuned (and thank you again!)...
posted by DingoMutt at 5:37 PM on December 25, 2016