Creamy Caramelized Shallot Pasta
Caramelize a ton of shallots with butter and cream to make a sauce for the gods.
This dish was inspired by a cream of shallot casserole in which the recipe called for baking whole shallots in a cream sauce and then topping them with crispy breadcrumbs. Come to think of it, I think I need to recreate that same casserole someday. I digress. Shallots take on a ton of sweetness and depth when you caramelize them low and slow in a pan with lots of butter. You can use red onions for this sauce but you won’t achieve the same rich, sweet flavor. Deglaze with a tiny bit of white wine so you don’t lose any flavorful bits at the bottom of the pan.
For this dish, I recommend using the Radiatore Pasta from Mill Valley Pasta Company or another extruded pasta with lots of grooves to hold onto the sauce. Trust me, it really makes a difference. A good substitute for this artisan pasta is a good ol’ fusilli because the little edges will hold tons of sauce. As always, remember finishing key tenets of pasta finishing:
Always cook your pasta al dente (so that it has a tiny bit of bite)
Finish your pasta in a sauté pan with the sauce and a few ladlefuls of pasta water. Tossing them together will create an emulsified sauce
Add a knob of unsalted butter at the end to toss in your emulsified sauce
Ingredients
4 tablespoons of butter, divided
4 cups shallots, thinly sliced
8-10 baby shallots for garnish*
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons white wine
12 oz dried pasta like Radiatore, Conchiglie, or Fusilli
Parmesan cheese for garnish
*Alternatively, you can use a small handful of crispy shallots as a garnish.
Serves 2-3
Directions
Bring a medium sauce pan of water up to a boil. If you are using the baby shallots for garnish, you’ll will need to blanch them before peeling. Once the water is up to a boil, season with salt. Drop the baby shallots into the water for one minute or until the skins start to peel off the shallots. Transfer them to an ice bath to cool. Using the tip of a pairing knife, cut the tops of the shallots off and peel the skin off.
Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. After a minute, add a pinch of salt and the garlic. Sauté the sliced shallots for 20 minutes. Deglaze with the white wine. After two minutes, add the cream and cook for another minute.
Using the same water you blanched the shallots, drop the pasta and cook until al dente, approximately 8-10 minutes depending on the brand and shape of your pasta. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta once it’s cooked.
Blend the shallot and cream mixture together. Using the same pan in which you caramelized the shallots, add the cooked pasta and shallot cream sauce. Toss to combine with the pasta water. Season to taste before plating with the roasted shallots and Parmesan cheese.