| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 25 min |
| Prep: | 5 min |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 2 servings (as an appetizer) |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 small shallot, minced
- Pinch of saffron threads
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 ounces dried pappardelle pasta
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh chives
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and saffron and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is softened, about 2 minutes. Add the cream, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; increase the heat to medium high and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook as the label directs. Remove 1/4 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta and transfer to the skillet with the sauce. Add the reserved cooking water, the parmesan and half of the chives and toss to coat. Serve topped with the lemon zest, remaining chives and more cheese.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 2 servings |
| Calories | 583 |
| Total Fat | 38 g |
| Saturated Fat | 24 g |
| Carbohydrates | 47 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 13 g |
| Cholesterol | 130 mg |
| Sodium | 390 mg |
Reviews
Absolutely delish! Based on reviews I used half the vanilla and didn’t even notice it; I’ll try the full amount next time. My guests raved about this. I served shrimp scamp and roasted broccoli with it. Next time I’ll serve with shrimp scamp and my (or Ming Tsai’s) asparagus corn relish salad.
This recipe is great! I took the suggestions of other reviews and used less vanilla (1/8 tsp) and served it accompanied with steak filets. I didn’t have shallot so I used yellow onion,& used fresh cauliflower linguine. It’s light, easy, and tastes super decadent. Will definitely make over and over again.
One of my family’s most requested dishes. Easy, fast, & fancy!
This recipe is so simple to make and looks so fancy to serve. I make this every year on Valentine’s Day and serve it with filet mignon and a lobster tail. I followed the recipe as is the first time but did not care for the super vanilla taste so now I just add a small couple drops of it and that’s really all you need.
I made this today and it was delicious! I took the previous reviews advice, and only added a drop of vanilla. After eating the last bite, I realized I forgot to add the parmesan cheese.. I will make again soon.I found the Papadelle noodles at Home goods in the gourmet section, last package too..lucky for me.
I’ll be honest, after reading the reviews, I did 1/2 the vanilla, but I still expected this to be better. My husband found it unpalatable, I think it might be ok with no vanilla, more lemon, and perhaps prawns. Tried something different – fail!
Served this as a first course on Valentine’s Day, and my guests were over the moon. It was our favorite of 4 courses. I was not able to use saffron, so I used a little turmeric to mimic the color. Using pappardelle is key, though. It’s so thin and takes the sauce so well. I’ll make this again and again.
Giving this only 3 stars because I was skeptical about the amount of vanilla so I only used half the amount…and yet it was still too much/overpowering for our tastes (though Ive read that some brands of vanilla extracts are much stronger tasting than others, plus some people just sense the taste of vanilla more than others.) It was still a tasty dish, it could have used a bit more saffron IMO (how big is “a pinch”…I think I would have preferred 2 “pinches” here) but I might keep this recipe in mind in the future with my own modifications.
One Word: Delicious. Please note that the portion size is for appetizers, not main course. I didn’t have the pasta it called for so I substituted it for fettuccine and tagliatelle (made it twice thus far).
Just whipped up a quick single serving to test it out because I’ve never cooked with saffron before, & because it’s so darn expensive for a spice, I figured a test drive would be appropriate. Before mixing it in with the pasta and cheese, I thought the saffron cream sauce tasted a bit too salty. However, after mixing everything in, it really mellowed out and turned out fantastically! Saffron can be found at Vons/ Pavillions, or even William Sonoma. The vanilla was very subtle for me, but I’m an avid baker, so my taste buds have become accustomed to vanilla extract. However, add maybe half of that amount and increase up to your taste preference. Overall, this dish is a winner!