Carbonara
Egg yolks, pork fat, cheese, pepper. NO CREAM.
Timing note: 20 mins
Carbonara
Egg yolks, pork fat, cheese, pepper. NO CREAM.
Timing note: 20 mins
The Key Move
If you put cream in this, an Italian grandmother dies
Dish Hill
Carbonara Has A Current King
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The Setup
- Stockpot8+ qt
- Skillet12-inch
- Mixing Bowl
- Tongs
- Microplane/Zester
The Mise en Place
4Your prep station before cooking begins
The Protein (0/2)
The Pantry (0/1)
Other (0/1)
My sauce has little bits of cooked egg in it, like scrambled eggs.
Ah, that means the pan was a bit too hot when you added the eggs.
My sauce is too thin and runny, it's not coating the pasta.
If the sauce is too thin, it just means it needs a little more coaxing to emulsify.
Chef's Notes
Reserve pasta water! The starchy water emulsifies the sauce, making it creamy without adding cream.
Temper the eggs by whisking them with a little hot pasta water before adding to the pan to prevent scrambling.
Serve immediately with a generous sprinkle of Pecorino Romano and freshly cracked black pepper.
The Method
RENDER
Start guanciale (150 g) (150g) in a cold pan. COOK over medium heat until crispy and fat is liquid gold. Remove meat, keep the fat.
TEMPER
In a bowl, WHISK eggs, cheese, and pepper into a thick paste. ADD a ladle of hot pasta water to the egg mixture while whisking.
Why? This warms the eggs up so they don't shock and scramble when they hit the pasta.
TOSS (Off Heat)
Time-sensitiveDRAG cooked pasta into the pork fat pan. KILL THE HEAT.
⚠️ If the flame is on when you add the eggs, you are making breakfast. The pan must be off the heat.
EMULSIFY
Time-sensitivePOUR the egg mixture over the pasta. TOSS violently. The residual heat cooks the eggs into a creamy sauce.
Breaking: Add fat slowly while whisking to keep it smooth. Too fast can split the sauce.
Sauce should coat the pasta like heavy paint. If it's too thick, add more water.
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