FEBRUARY 31 



3 or 4 spoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese. Take 

 a smaller saucepan of water with some salt in it. When 

 the water is boiling, remove it to the edge of the fire. 

 Then take two tablespoons, and fill one with the paste, 

 flattening it with a knife warmed in warm water so as to 

 form the paste into an oval shape ; warm the other 

 spoon, and push it under the quenelle to remove it from 

 the first spoon ; then drop it into the boiling water. When 

 all the quenelles are shaped in this way and thrown into 

 the saucepan, put it on to the open fire, and let the 

 quenelles poach for some minutes. As soon as they feel 

 firm to the touch, remove the Gnocchi one by one with 

 a strainer, and place them on a cloth till wanted. Make 

 a Bechamel white sauce. Butter a soufB6-dish, place 

 the quenelles round the bottom, in a single row one 

 beside the other, sprinkle this first row with a little 

 grated Parmesan, and add on the top another layer 

 of Gnocchis, laid on alternately to the others. Hide 

 the Gnocchis entirely with the sauce Bechamel, dust 

 them over with a little grated Gruyere, sprinkle them 

 lightly with some melted butter, and put them to bake 

 in a slow oven till well browned without being burnt. 

 Given about forty to forty-five minutes of baking, the 

 Gnocchi should swell to twice their original size. Serve 

 at once. 



Bechamel Sauce. Cut into little squares the half of 

 a carrot and a small onion ; take a small saucepan, put 

 in a good bit of butter, add the vegetables, fry them 

 lightly without letting them brown. This done, add a 

 good tablespoonful of flour, and let the flour cook quite 

 gently for several minutes on a moderate fire ; be es- 

 pecially careful that it does not stick or get coloured, 

 which would quite spoil its quality. This done, let it 

 cool for a moment, then add little by little one pint and 

 a half of boiling milk ; work and stir the sauce without 



