Spicy Truffle Cheese Sauce & Grain Free Butternut Squash Gnocchi

I'm a huge fan of cooking shows. I'm always in awe and inspired by the beautiful food professional chefs make and the techniques that they use. It's so much fun to watch them cook and then I can go do it myself!

What I love the most about watching talented chefs' work is that they describe the texture and taste of a finished product. Gnocchi is supposed to be light and fluffy and a good sauce should have a complex depth of flavor, so that's what I worked to achieve in this new healthy recipe. Luckily, using gluten-free and grain-free flours you can't overdevelop the gluten when you knead this dough, and the finished product is pretty amazing! The creatively crafted Castello Double Creme Truffle Cheese is incredible on its own but combined with some heat and herbs, it makes a sauce to die for.

The flavor of truffles in Castello Double Creme Truffle Cheese is earthy and beautiful. You will love this cheese!

Since 1893, Castello has brought a range of innovation and tradition to the art of cheese making. Castello offers three varieties of cheese: including Havartis, Blues and Double Cremes made with natural ingredients and great attention to detail. Unlike other soft cheeses, Castello Double Cremes mature from the inside out to insure a velvety texture every time.

I roasted the squash with garlic and cinnamon. Then let it cool a bit before ricing.

The sauce doesn't need heavy cream when you use this incredible Castello Double Creme Truffle Cheese.

Easy and Fluffy Grain-Free Butternut Squash Gnocchi!

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Grain-Free Butternut Squash Gnocchi in Spicy Castello Double Cream Truffle Cheese Sauce

Serves 4-6

Ingredients: Roasted (not boiled) butternut squash

• 1 medium butternut squash
• 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
• salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Olive oil

Ingredients: Gnocchi

• 1 pound (apx 1/2 of a medium squash) roasted butternut squash, cooled, mashed.
• 2 1/2 cups grain-free flour mix, recipe below, as needed (use for board as well)
• 1 clove roasted garlic, mashed

Ingredients: Truffle Cheese Sauce

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 tablespoons gluten-free sweet rice flour/Mochiko (grain-free tapioca option-see note below)
• 2 cups 2 % milk of choice or low salt gluten-free stock, as needed
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1/2 block (5.1 oz) of Castello Double Creme Truffle Cheese
• 2 cloves roasted garlic, mashed
• Sriracha, to taste
• splash of white wine, opt
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped 
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Grain-Free Flour Mix  

Note: If you don't need grain-free, you can also use regular gluten-free All-Purpose Flour. If gluten-free is not needed, use your regular flour, but you will need much less, so add slowly. Too much flour and you will have heavy gnocchi.

• 1 cup gluten-free almond flour
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free potato starch or arrowroot starch

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F./ 200 C. Line a large baking sheet with foil

1. Peel garlic and leave cloves whole. 
2. Wash the butternut squash, cut off ends, peel, cut in half and remove seeds. Chop squash into large 2-inch cubes. Spread the squash cubes and garlic cloves in a single layer on the baking sheet and toss with a little olive oil to coat. 
3. Season with salt and pepper and cinnamon. 
4. Roast on the middle rack for 30-40 minutes or until very tender.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool.
6. In a large bowl, mash the cooled squash with a ricer, potato masher or large fork until almost smooth. Add half of the flour mix and combine well. I use my hands. Keep adding the rest of the flour, as needed, until you have a sticky ball. It will firm up more on kneading.
7. Flour board generously and turn out the dough. Knead, scrape up dough and add flour to the board to keep from sticking. 
8. Keep kneading until the ball is smooth and workable. It will still be a bit tacky. I use a Silpat mat for rolling and it helps a lot. 
9. Pull a golf ball-sized bit of dough off and set the rest aside. Flour the board a little if dry. Gently roll dough into a 3/4 inch log using all of your fingers splayed out. 
10. Cut the log into 1-inch pieces. Pat the cut ends up, place on floured plate and press lightly on one side with a fork to indent. 
11. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
12. Put a large saucepan 1/2 full of lightly salted water on to boil. 
13. Start the cheese sauce.
14. In a large skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil to bubbling. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk to combine. Let cook, stirring constantly for several minutes.
15. Slowly add a little milk or stock, whisking constantly, adding more as needed as the sauce thickens. 
16. Add the Parmesan and the Castello Double Creme Truffle Cheese (the rind will melt) and keep stirring. Add a bit more milk or stock as it thickens if needed. We like our sauce a little on thin side so it doesn't overwhelm the gnocchi.
17. Add roasted garlic and cilantro. Season with salt, pepper and Sriracha to taste.
18. Let simmer on low, stirring occasionally while the gnocchi cooks. 
19. When the water is boiling, turn the heat to a gentle boil, add the gnocchi and give them a little stir. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until they float to the top of the pan. Drain gently.
20. Turn the gnocchi into the cheese sauce and combine.

How to use arrowroot or tapioca starch to thicken sauce:

 Arrowroot is not what you want to use since it turns slimy when added to dairy.


Tapioca flour/tapioca starch, like arrowroot, is most often used to thicken glazes, sauces, gravies, and baked goods. It stays stable in cold temperatures, so it too is good to use for foods you will freeze. It also works well in milk-based recipes, so it should be used instead of arrowroot for gravies or other dairy-based recipes.
Tapioca is not recommended for use with high acid foods because it loses its ability to thicken when mixed with acidity.
Tapioca thickens quickly and can withstand being heated for a long period of time, which is an important difference from arrowroot.
To avoid clumping, both arrowroot and tapioca starch should be mixed with a little cold water before adding them to your hot mixture to thicken. Neither requires high heat to dissolve, so they can be added towards the end of cooking without concern for taste.