Today, we’re featuring a hearty pasta dish perfect for a get together with friends or to enjoy as a quick family dinner. This is the French version of the classic Italian pasta carbonara. The real Italian pasta carbonara does not include cream however most pasta carbonara dishes in France will include some crème fraîche — no big surprise here, this is France after all! They are both delicious dishes, the one we are offering here is pasta carbonara “à la française”. Check our detailed recipe and Art of the Home suggestions below. Enjoy and bon appétit!!!
Pasta Carbonara (Pâtes à la Carbonara)
INGREDIENTS (for 4-6 servings)
- 1 lb of pasta (e.g. spagetthi, fettuccini)
- 1 pound of bacon (e.g. center cut or thick cut)
- 6 egg yolks
- 100 grated parmesan (about 3/4 cup)
- 125 g of crème fraîche (about 4 oz). You can use heavy cream too but the sauce will be more liquidy.
- 1 TBSP of Olive oil
- 2 minced Shallots
- Minced parsley (optional)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
- Cook pasta. If you like them Al-dente, follow the cooking time direction. If you like them softer, add about 2 minutes to the package’s recommended cooking time.
- While the pasta is cooking, mince your shallots and cut bacon into 1/2 inch strips.
- Sauté your minced shallots in olive oil (about 1-2 minutes until they because translucid). Add in bacon and cook until crispy removing the fat from time to time (e.g. you can drain the fat in the sink, holding the bacon and shallots with a small plate). When ready set aside.
- In a bowl, mix in egg yolks, crème fraîche, and parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste keeping in mind that bacon will be salty so you can go lighter on the salt.
- Drain pasta (don’t shake them too much, pasta water helps with the sauce). Return to a deep serving plate (or the pot if you will be putting serving the pasta directly into the plates).
- Add in bacon. Stir in vigorously egg mixture (this will prevent the eggs from cooking and keep the sauce liquid). Sprinkle with minced parsley (optional).
- Serve in a deep plates.
A FEW SUGGESTIONS
- Wine suggestions — with this dish, you can certainly go either red or white. But in keeping with the Italian spirit, we and many in France would go with a Chianti. This medium-bodied, red, Italian wine from Tuscany goes well with most any non-seafood pasta dish.
- Dessert – have a fruit (i.e. apple, pear, clementine, sliced strawberries or whatever is in season) for dessert and enjoy this meal with no guilt!
- Lighter Carbonara version — for a quick during the week meal, consider using sliced ham instead of bacon. You can also use prosciutto which adds a nice touch to this lighter pasta carbonara version.
- Pasta variations — try this with fresh pasta or fresh raviolis.
- Cheese variations — you can use shredded gruyère or other grated Italian cheeses (Pecorino Romano) instead of parmesan.
- Italian Night — skip the crème fraîche and make it Italian night!