Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the carrots and cook until completely soft. You should be able to mash them easily against the side of the pot.

Drain the carrots through a sieve and run cold water over them. You can put a few ice cubes on top of the carrots to speed up the process. Once the carrots are cool enough to handle, use a potato masher to mash them until completely smooth. Alternatively, you can use a food processor or ricer.

Wipe out the pot used to cook the carrots and fill it with water again. Transfer to the stovetop and add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth. Add the ricotta and whisk until incorporated with the eggs—season with salt and pepper.

Pour the ricotta over the carrots. Add the flour. Use a spoon or an electric hand-mixer to blend until combined. Do not overmix! The mixture should hold its shape but should not feel too doughy. It should still be a bit 'wet' from the ricotta. If the mixture feels too loose, add more flour in 1 tablespoon increments.

Once the water is boiling, drop a small pinch of the dumpling mixture into the pot. Once it floats, take it out and taste it. Adjust the seasonings in your ricotta dumpling mixture to taste.

Use a teaspoon to scoop a spoonful of the mixture and run the edge of the spoon against the inside of the bowl to form a quenelle shape. These need not be perfect. With the dumpling mixture still on your spoon, place the spoon right into the boiling water and shake it to loosen the dumpling off the spoon.

Continue until you have about 5–6 dumplings in the pot. Allow them to boil for 3–4 minutes until they float. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a large plate once cooked through. Alternatively, you can roll the mixture into balls between your hands and drop them right into the water. Again, be careful not to over-roll them, or the dumpling will be tough.

Continue boiling the dumplings in batches until all the dumplings have been cooked.

Heat oil in a wide pot or skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the shallot and cook for 5 minutes.

Melt the butter into the shallot. Once bubbly, add the sage, thyme, and chives along with the crushed red pepper and cook for 1 minute.

Add the maple syrup along with the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes until thickened—taste and season to your preferences.

If you prefer a thicker sauce, scoop out 2 tablespoons of the sauce and mix with 1 teaspoon of flour until a slurry forms. Whisk the slurry into the sauce and continue simmering until thick: taste and season.

Add the baby kale to the sauce. Once wilted, add as many dumplings as you intend to eat and toss gently to combine. Finish with lemon juice. Turn off the heat.

Divide the dumplings and sauce between bowls. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!