Milk Gnocchi, a dessert with a taste of times gone by

Milk gnocchi are a masterpiece of peasant and ingenious cuisine, a dessert so essential that it deserves a place of honor in Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well. A gastronomic pillar that has nourished and delighted entire generations, surviving for decades.

Ingredients:

1 liter of milk
150 g of flour
3 eggs
1 tablespoon of sugar
lemon zest
1 cinnamon stick

Method:

In a saucepan, dissolve the flour in the milk, gradually pouring it in. Then add the well-beaten eggs, lemon zest, cinnamon, and sugar. Cook the cream for about 30 minutes over medium heat.
Then, take a cake pan or baking dish, moisten it with a little water, and then pour in the cream, smoothing it with a knife. Let it cool, then cut it into small diamonds, and place them in a well-buttered baking dish. Season with grated Parmesan cheese and knobs of butter, then brown them in a hot oven for a few minutes.

A variation of this recipe can be found in one of the most famous cookbooks, Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well (1891) by Pellegrino Artusi, a testament to the widespread acceptance this simple dessert has enjoyed over the decades.

Pellegrino Artusi’s recipe (serves six):

Milk, 1 liter.
Sugar, 240 grams.
Powdered starch, 120 grams.
Egg yolks, 8 grams.
Vanilla flavor.

Mix everything together as you would for a cream and place it in a saucepan over high heat, stirring constantly. Once the mixture has firmed up, keep it on the heat for a few more minutes, then pour it into a baking dish or plate, about a finger and a half thick, and cut it into almonds once it has cooled. Arrange these slices evenly, one on top of the other, on a heat-resistant copper or porcelain tray, alternating them with a few knobs of butter, and brown them briefly in the oven to serve hot.