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1
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly dust it with flour; set aside.
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2
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over high heat.
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3
(Do not heat the water if you plan to freeze the gnocchi.)
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4
Place the ricotta in a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl.
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5
Use a rubber spatula or spoon to smash and push the ricotta through the strainer (this will take a little effort), making sure to scrape the underside of the strainer.
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6
Add the pumpkin, egg yolks, measured salt, brown sugar, and nutmeg, season with a few pinches of white pepper, and stir to combine.
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7
Add the measured flour and mix until the dough just comes together.
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8
(It will be very soft and slightly sticky, but dont overwork it or the dough will become tough and heavy.)
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9
Generously flour a work surface and turn out the dough.
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10
Pat it into a rough rectangle and cut it into 4 equal pieces.
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11
Gently roll 1 piece into an even rope about 3/4 inch in diameter, flouring the surface as needed.
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12
(Remember to be gentle or the gnocchi will turn out tough.)
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13
Cut the rope into 3/4-inch pieces.
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14
(As an optional step, you can form ridges on each gnocchi: Lightly flour your forefinger, your thumb, and the tines of a salad fork.
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15
Using your thumb, lightly press the cut side of the gnocchi into the back of the fork tines, then sort of roll/flick it off with your forefinger; your thumb will leave a concave impression in the gnocchi thats handy for holding sauce.
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16
.)
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17
Place the gnocchi on the prepared baking sheet.
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18
Repeat rolling and cutting the remaining 3 dough pieces.
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19
Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
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20
Add a third of the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook until they float, about 2 to 3 minutes, then let them cook about 30 seconds to 1 minute more so theyre just cooked through (test by cutting 1 in half).
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21
Remove with a slotted spoon, blotting excess water from the bottom of the spoon with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel, and transfer to the second prepared baking sheet.
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22
Repeat cooking the remaining gnocchi in 2 more batches.
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23
Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water and set it aside.
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24
Set aside a large bowl.
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25
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until foaming.
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26
Add 1 teaspoon of the sage and half of the gnocchi and cook, shaking the pan often, until the gnocchi are browned, about 3 minutes.
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27
Transfer with the slotted spoon to the reserved large bowl.
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28
Repeat with the remaining butter, sage, and gnocchi.
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29
Reduce the heat to medium low, add the reserved gnocchi cooking water and the creme fraiche and whisk to combine.
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30
Cook, whisking occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.
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31
Season with salt and black pepper, add the browned gnocchi and Parmesan, and toss to coat.
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32
Transfer the gnocchi to a serving dish or divide among individual plates and top with the hazelnuts.
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33
Serve immediately.
