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Tagliatelle with Lemon Creme Fraiche and Shaved Bottarga

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 13 to 25 hours, largely unattended

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons buttermilk or yogurt
  • Zest of 1 lemon, cut into strips
  • Salt
  • 3 to 4 ounces bottarga
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • Pepper
  • 1 pound dried tagliatelle or other wide egg noodles
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Mix the cream and buttermilk in a small glass bowl and cover. Let the mixture sit at room temperature until it’s the consistency of sour cream, anywhere from 12 to 24 hours (start checking after 12 hours). Cover tightly, refrigerate, and use within 5 days.
  2. Heat the crème fraîche and lemon zest in a small saucepan over low heat until steaming but not boiling. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Grate half the bottarga finely.
  3. Put the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the shallot and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour the crème fraîche into the skillet through a fine-mesh sieve; discard the lemon zest.
  4. Add the pasta to the boiling water, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, then start tasting. When the pasta is tender but still has some bite, scoop out 2 cups cooking water, then drain.
  5. Immediately add the pasta to the skillet with a splash of the cooking water and toss to coat, adding a little cooking water if necessary to create a creamy—but not soupy—sauce. Sprinkle no more than half the bottarga over the pasta to start; toss, taste, and add more incrementally until you achieve the right balance of umami to saltiness. Then taste and add a little salt and pepper if you’d like. Garnish with the chives and a pinch more grated bottarga if you’d like and serve right away, passing the grater.

– Dinner for Everyone