Fresh black garlic gnocchi

WITH SPRING CARROTS, TARRAGON CREAM, AND PISTACHIO SEED PESTO 

Executive chef Mark McCracken has decades of culinary experience, and he brings elevated fine dining to The Fig. His latest S/S 2023 Menu features local ingredients and fresh flavours that will delight local patrons and The Elms Hotel guests. 

SERVES 4 

Gnocchi 

500g peeled Agria potato 

1 egg 

150g plain flour 

10g black garlic (optional) 

Pistachio pesto 

20g pistachio, roasted and chopped 

20gm pumpkin seeds, roasted and chopped 

20g parmesan cheese, grated 

50g olive oil 

20g lemon juice 

A handful of carrot tops, washed, dried, and chopped 

Salt and pepper 

Tarragon cream 

50g sour cream 

Pinch of Fresh As tarragon powder 

To garnish 

12 spring carrots roasted with a little sea salt, oil, and black pepper 

200g broad beans, shelled and warmed 

Handful of parsley leaves, deep fried

Boil potatoes in salted water until just cooked, drain, and put back in the pot to steam dry for 10–15 minutes. Mash potato and leave to cool slightly; beat in egg and garlic. Mix in the flour gently and quickly, tip onto a bench, and knead until it comes together. Split the dough into four portions, roll it out into logs, and cut it into even-sized pieces. Cook each portion in boiling salted water; when they float, count to 30, and remove to an oiled tray to cool. 

TIP You must use Agria potato, they must be dry before mashing, and once the flour is added, you must be gentle; otherwise, the gnocchi will be rubbery and unpleasant. 

Toss the gnocchi in a medium hot pan with a splash of oil to warm through; you want a slight colour on them. 

Mix together the pesto ingredients. Add the tarragon powder to the sour cream and mix until combined. 

Place a spoonful of carrot purée in the centre of the plate and scatter over the gnocchi, broad beans, and carrots. Top with blobs of sour cream, then drizzle over the pesto and crispy parsley leaves.