Parisian gnocchi with pea and asparagus pesto

Bring the butter and water to a simmer over high heat in a 4 quart saucepan.

Add the all-purpose flour to the boiling liquid and whisk to combine.

Stir constantly until a film forms on the bottom of the pot and the starch is cooked out, about one to two minutes.

Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and cool three to four minutes.

Bring a three to four quart pot of water to a boil.

Add the grainy mustard, pecorino and salt to the cooled paste.

Paddle in the eggs one at a time on medium, letting each fully incorporate; adding them too fast makes a soupy lumpy mess. About three or four minutes in total.

Stop when the batter is no longer wet and takes on a matte consistency.

Fold in the chives with a couple more whips of the paddle.

Load the batter into a heavy duty freezer bag and cut about a half inch hole in the front.

Squeeze out about an inch of batter at a time into the boiling water, cutting each off with a dull knife; dip the knife in the water to clean it about every tenth piece.

Poach about 90 seconds, then lift out with a slotted spoon or spider onto an oiled sheet pan. Poach in two batches at this size.

Hold in the fridge to sear the next day, or use the same night.

For the pesto, put the olive oil in the food processor first and everything else on top, then pulse just until combined without heating it up with blade friction.

Transfer the pesto to a pint container and stir in an additional tablespoon of olive oil to loosen it.

Snap the stems off the asparagus and cut the spears into coins close in size to a fresh pea.

Saute the asparagus in a couple tabs of butter over medium heat as a gentle sweat, two to three minutes, to take the raw off without going fully tender.

Set the asparagus on a plate to cool and wipe out the pan.

Sear the gnocchi in a tablespoon of olive oil in batches, three to five minutes, to a deep golden brown.

Set the gnocchi aside, return the pan to heat and add about two tablespoons of water to cool it, then stir in a tablespoon of chilled butter until it goes opaque and silky.

Add the frozen peas, which also cool the pan so the pesto will not turn brown; the pan wants to be warm, not hot.

In a stainless steel mixing bowl combine the mounted butter, peas, asparagus and three tablespoons of pesto, stir and taste, adding more pesto if wanted.

Plate the gnocchi first to preserve their texture, then spoon the sauce over.