ORLANDO, Fla. — At Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen located at Universal CityWalk, you might find a hint of chocolate in your milkshake or even a grown-up beverage. You'll also find it in an unexpected place — a “dish collision” of Mexican and Italian flavors.
“It all boils down to tasting,” according to Universal CityWalk’s executive chef, Marcos Colon. For this week’s Chef’s Kitchen, Chef demonstrates his take on gnocchi — an Italian potato dumpling — that incorporates Mexican mole, known for its kiss of cocoa flavoring.
“You can never have enough,” he said, smiling, about the mole. “This is going to be the star.”
So let's cook!
Toothsome's Gnocchi — Grilled Chicken, Sweet Peppers, Rapini, Mole Cream Sauce
Recipe yields 1 serving.
Ingredients
6 ounces gnocchi
½ tablespoon shallots, thinly sliced
½ tablespoon roasted garlic, pureed
2 ounces sweet peppers, julienne
Kosher salt to taste
Coarse ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon canola oil
6 fluid ounces mole sauce
1 fluid ounce heavy cream
2 ounces rapini, blanched
Grilled chicken breast (cut into strips) — 1 each
Directions
- Heat a sauté pan to medium high heat, and once hot, put the canola oil into the pan.
- Add the cooked gnocchi, and stir until they begin to brown.
- Then add the shallots and peppers.
- Once peppers have softened slightly (1.5 minutes), in the following order, add mole, chicken and then the garlic puree. Place back onto the fire, and bring to a simmer.
- Cook for about 1.5 to 2 minutes, or until all ingredients are hot.
- Finish with rapini and heavy cream.
- Toss evenly, and bring to a simmer one last time.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Quality Control Points to look out for
Do not add the garlic puree into the pan with sauce. It should already be cooked and will burn, leaving a bitter flavor.
The gnocchi should be golden brown when toasted correctly, not charred.
If too much of the sauce is reduced, add water or chicken stock by the ounce until the consistency is correct.