It was very simple, and very satisfying.

• about one fourth of a cup of shelled walnuts, spread onto a small vintage rolled-edge tin baking sheet, toasted in a 350º oven for 8 to 12 minutes, or until fragrant, shaking them a couple times to keep from burning, removed, chopped roughly and added to a medium-size vintage tin-lined copper pot in which 4 tablespoons of Organic Valley ‘Cultured Pasture Butter’ (total fat 12g) had been melted over medium-low heat, the nuts cooked for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the butter began to turn a rich golden-brown, one teaspoon of dried sage from Phillips Farm (purchased fresh last fall), a bit of dark dried habanada, and one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar added and briefly stirred over a lowered flame, being careful not to burn the butter, the heat turned off and the contents of a 400g of cooked and drained ‘mamma emma gnocchi made with steamed fresh potatoes and pumpkin‘ from Eataly added and stirred into the sauce, the gnocchi divided between two shallow bowls and garnished with baby mizuna from Norwich Meadows Farm
• the wine was a wonderful Italian (Südtirol/Alto Adige) white, Alois Lageder Dolomiti Pinot Grigio 2016, from Philippe Wines 
• the music was the album, ‘Une Fête chez Rabelais – Chansons et pièces instrumentales’, Dominique Visse directing the ensemble Clément Janequin