What is the richest, most fattening pasta dish you can think of? Fettuccine alfredo maybe? I've got one that tops it. It's Ina Garten's Tagliarelle with Truffle Butter. It's pasta with heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, and butter. Not just any butter, though. Truffle butter. And tons of it. This pasta is so rich you can feel your heart screaming for mercy. I have never felt more like eating a salad than I did after this dish. But you know what? It's absolutely fabulous. Creamy, rich, and decadent.
I used some fresh tagliatelle pasta that I bought at Whole Foods, and the truffle butter came in a little tub at the same store. I have to admit it's amazingly simple to put together, but you can only eat a little bit at a time. I couldn't even make it through a whole serving.
Tagliarelle with Truffle Butter
From Ina Garten
Kosher salt
½ cup heavy cream
3 ounces white truffle butter
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (8.82-ounce) package Cipriani tagliarelle dried pasta or other egg fettuccine
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
3 ounces Parmesan, shaved thin with a vegetable peeler
Add 1 tablespoon salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat the cream over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Add the truffle butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper, lower the heat to very low, and swirl the butter until it melts. Keep warm over very low heat.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, exactly. (If you're not using Cipriani pasta, follow the directions on the package.) When the pasta is cooked, reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add the drained pasta to the saute pan and toss it with the truffle-cream mixture. As the pasta absorbs the sauce, add as much of the reserved cooking water, as necessary, to keep the pasta very creamy.
Serve the pasta in shallow bowls and garnish each serving with a generous sprinkling of chives and shaved Parmesan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve at once.
Makes 2 servings
