From A Past Edition Of The New Orleans Menu Daily By Tom Fitzmorris Gnocchi with Crabmeat and Prosciutto This rather rich dish brings crabmeat and dry-cured ham together in a cream sauce with gnocchi, the little potato-and-flour pasta dumplings. You can make your own gnocchi if you like (quite an undertaking), but you can buy relatively decent fresh gnocchi in the refrigerator case at the store. 8 oz. potato gnocchi 1 Tbs. butter 4 oz. prosciutto, sliced into thin slivers 1 1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh shallot 8 oz. whipping cream 8 oz. lump crabmeat Cayenne Salt 1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the gnocchi until they're set but not mushy soft--about four minutes. Drain. 2. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter till it bubbles, then add the shallots. Saute until they just begin to brown, then add the prosciutto and cook about another minute. 3. Add the cream and bring to a low boil. Lower the heat and reduce the cream for about five minutes. Reduce the heat to low and reduce till thick. Add pepper to taste. 4. Add the crabmeat to the cream, and agitate the pan to blend. Cook until the cream starts bubbling again. Add cayenne and salt to taste. 5. Add the gnocchi to the pan and toss with the sauce to distribute the ingredients. Serve hot on small plate as an appetizer or amuse bouche. Serves four. Click here for an index of recipes from past editions. © 2009 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com