Gnocchi with shellfish, fennel, aniseed & coriander coulants

Tom Meyer | 5/9/23

The Grand Chef of Demain Île-de-France 2023, Tom Meyer at Granite, concocts a technical dish for culinary aficionados with his gnocchi cœur coulant with shellfish, fennel, aniseed and coriander.

Serves 10

Preparation time: 40 min

Cooking time: 1 h 30

Gnocchi filling

75 g cockles
75 g razor clams
2 cl lime juice
10 g butter
60 g fennel
30 cl shellfish sauce
4 g fish gelatin

Gnocchi dough

500 g potatoes
100 g T55 flour
50 g cornstarch
1 egg
50 g grated Parmesan cheese
Coarse salt

Shellfish juice

30 cl reserved cockle juice
8 cl coconut milk
1 stalk lemongrass
1 lime
10 g aniseed
5 g freshly grated ginger
10 g green curry paste
30 g Vietnamese coriander
4 g fish gelatin

Citron zist purée

200 g citron zist (the white skin under the zest)
150 g sugar
15 g lemon juice
12 g butter
35 g cream

Finishing touch

Fennel scissors
10 marigold flowers
Dill
Fennel bronze
Fennel flower

1 - Prepare the gnocchi filling: cut the fennel into brunoise. Open and clean the raw razor clams, and cut into 2 cm lengths. Sweat some of the fennel brunoise with the butter, add the razor clams and sear over high heat for 10 seconds, then deglaze with lemon juice and remove to a cold plate to stop cooking. Put a little lime juice in the bottom of a large saucepan, add the cockles and cook them quickly, covered. When they've barely opened, quickly discard. Strain the juice and set aside. Mix the shelled cockles, razor clams and raw and cooked fennel. Mix the shellfish sauce with the gelatine and add to the mixture.

2 - Prepare the gnocchi: bake the potatoes over coarse salt for 1 h 30 at 180°C (gas mark 6). When the potatoes have melted, remove the pulp and strain through a fine sieve. Stir in the egg, flour, cornflour and Parmesan.

3 - Form the gnocchi into balls weighing around 40 g and flatten. Stuff the gnocchi with 40 g of filling, then close them. Stuff the top with a knife, then set aside.

4 - To make the shellfish juice: place a little lime juice in the bottom of a large saucepan, then add the reserved juice. Quickly toast the anise seeds, then add the ginger and lemongrass. Add the coconut milk and shellfish juice. Reduce, then add the curry paste, lime zest and Vietnamese coriander. Leave to infuse for 10 min, covered, then filter again. Add the fish gelatin and leave to set in a cool place.

5 - Prepare the citron zest pur&e acute;e: coarsely chop the zest and blanch it 4 times, starting in cold water. Cook in a syrup containing 50 cl of water and the sugar. Drain, then blend in the butter and lemon juice. Once the mixture is smooth, add the cream. Strain through a sieve and set aside.

6 - Sear the gnocchi on a plancha or in a frying pan with a little oil. When the underside is crisp, place in the oven at 100°C (th. 3-4) for 5 min in a steamer (or 8 min in a conventional oven). Serve immediately and decorate with dill, bronze fennel and fennel flowers.