Our next recipe is proof that simple, high-quality ingredients can totally blow your mind (as well as your guests)! Our talented friend and Italian Chef, Melissa Norton, stopped by to share her creamy and flavorful Fresh Tagliolini with Creme Fraiche & Wild Thyme Flowers. You’ll want to memorize this simple recipe by heart and share it with your fanciest of friends. If you don’t feel up to making the pasta by hand, you can sub store-bought pasta (dried or fresh) – but don’t skimp out on quality here! Buon appetito!
Fresh Pasta
260 Grams of 00 or AP Flour
9 Egg Yolks
Place the flour on a clean surface and make a well in the center. Add the eggs and bring together with your hands, gradually incorporating all the flour from the sides of the well until it forms a dough.
Continue to knead the dough until it the texture is smooth and consistent, then transfer to a bowl. Cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Once rested, use a pasta machine or rolling pin to roll out the dough into a sheet 1mm. Leave to stand for 10 minutes to dry out a little, until the dough is no longer sticky, then fold the dough over itself. Cut thin strips along the folded dough, then unfold the tagliolini and shape into nests. Dust semolina flour to avoid clumping and set aside until ready to cook.
Creme Fraiche Sauce with Wild Thyme Flowers
100 grams Fresh Tagliolini
1 tsp Olive Oil
125 grams (1/4 cup) Creme Fraiche
2 tbs of Parmigiano
1/2 tbs Wild Thyme Flowers
Bitter Purple Greens or Radicchio
Chop the thyme very fine
Add thyme, parmigiano, creme fraiche, and salt and pepper (to taste) to a bowl and mix well
Add creme fraiche mixture to a sauce pan with very low heat.
Boil fresh pasta for 2 minutes in salted water
Add pasta to pan with creme fraiche and turn heat to high. Add 1-2 tbs pasta water. Let the mixture boil and emulsify. Swirl the noodles in the pan to mix and help make the dish creamy and uniform. Continue to swirl and bubble for 1 minute. Test a noodle to make sure it’s perfect.
Plate with beautiful purple greens, olive oil, a few flecks of flake salt, and a hearty sprinkling of parmigiano!
SHOPPE MELISSA’S PASTA ESSENTIALS
Cynara Plates
$58
Walnut Rolling Pin
$70
Pasta Basket, Helen’s Asian Kitchen Stainless Steel Mesh Spide, 6-Inch, Basket
$12.95
Pasta Fork
$14.59
Heirloom Board II
$180
Mercato Pasta Atlas
$84.13
Cleaning Cloth
$12
Microplane® Master Series Olivewood-Handled Paddle Grater
$31.95
Arandis Tea Towel
$24
All-Clad Precision Stainless-Steel French Whisk
$42.95
Chitarra Pastamaker, Metal and Hardwood Frame
$84.99
MEET MELISSA NORTON
Melissa is an Italian trained cook living in Laguna Beach and working in both LA and Laguna. Melissa studied in Calabria, Italy, surrounded by fisherman and farmland, she learned the importance of fresh ingredients and slow food. Melissa’s goal is to tell a story through her food and for it to feel personal. Everything she makes is handmade. Whether it’s her thumbprints on orecchiette or the slightly sour flavor from her sourdough starter in the pizza, her food feels unique and timeless. She stays committed to the old school / artisan Italian techniques she learned when she was studying in Italy. She frequently travels back to Italy to gain more knowledge about the culture and to enhance the experience for her customers. Melissa uses food as a vessel to storytell and to inspire people to slow down and enjoy a beautiful meal.
