Creamy Carbonara

By garciamoss

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon table salt
• 1 pound spaghetti

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from cookscountry.com

Preparation

Step 1

We developed an easy Creamy Carbonara recipe that cooks up velvety smooth and is assertively flavored. First, we tempered the garlic’s forceful flavor by cooking it briefly in rendered bacon fat. To cut the cream’s richness, we used white wine that had been reduced and concentrated to half its volume. To prevent curdling when adding hot ingredients to the egg mixture, we worked quickly and whisked the mixture constantly. Finally, thoroughly seasoning the pasta water gave us an all around great-tasting Creamy Carbonara.

Serves 4 to 6

Although we call for spaghetti in this recipe, you can substitute any long thin pasta, such as linguine or fettuccine. Parmesan cheese can be substituted for the Pecorino Romano, though the sauce will not be as creamy or as flavorful. To avoid curdling the eggs, be sure to whisk constantly when adding the hot ingredients to the egg mixture. If you like your food extra-peppery, increase the pepper to 1 1/2 teaspoons.


1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot.

2. Whisk eggs, cheese, and cream together in medium bowl. Meanwhile, fry bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to small bowl. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. Add garlic and pepper to skillet, return to medium heat, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk garlic mixture into bowl with eggs.

3. Return skillet to medium heat, add wine, and simmer, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to remove browned bits, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Slowly whisk wine mixture into egg mixture.

4. While wine is reducing, add salt and pasta to boiling water. Cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, drain pasta, and return to pot. Immediately pour egg mixture over pasta and toss well to combine with 1/2 cup reserved cooking water. Add bacon and thin sauce with remaining cooking water as necessary. Serve.