Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

  • INGREDIENTS FOR THE GNOCCHI
  • 5 cups milk
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 ½ cups coarse semolina flour
  • ½ cup freshly grated Grana Padano
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ cup grated Grana Padano
  • 6 ounces grated fontina or Taleggio (about 1 ½ cups)

Directions

For the gnocchi, put the milk, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Set over medium heat, stir occasionally until the milk is hot and the butter melted, then gradually pour in the semolina, whisking steadily. Cook slowly over low heat. The mixture will thicken quickly. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and is very difficult to stir, about 15 minutes.

Stir in the Grana Padano until melted, then stir in the egg yolks. Scrape and pour the hot semolina into an even ½-inch layer in the middle of a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Let cool, then refrigerate until firm.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Generously butter a 9-by- 13-inch baking dish with a tablespoon of the butter. For the sauce, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan. Cut the semolina into 2-inch squares and layer, points up (so the squares look like diamonds), overlapping in the baking dish. Drizzle with the melted butter.

Combine the grated Grana Padano and the fontina or Taleggio in a bowl and sprinkle evenly over the gnocchi. Bake the gnocchi for 25 to 30 minutes or until the butter is bubbling in the pan and the top is a beautiful golden brown. Let rest for 10 minutes to settle before serving.