Lemony Crème Fraîche Pasta

Lemony crème fraîche provides endless possibilities for gluten-free pasta

October 26, 2008 at 9:00AM by Shauna James Ahern | comment

One of those slow afternoons, I came home and peered into the refrigerator. Glimpsing my latest creation, I grabbed the crème fraîche and decided to make something up with it, on the spot. My tastebuds remembered a lemony crème fraîche sauce over chicken I had made many times before, based on something I read first on Luisa’s site. In the first weeks of our relationship, I made some for the Chef, and he approved.

But I didn’t want chicken. I wanted pasta.

My favorite gluten-free pasta of all time is a rice pasta from Italy, called Il Macchiaiolo. Soft and pliable, with a long stretch shape to hold sauces, this is impeccable pasta.

And so, with a jar of homemade crème fraîche in my hand, I began heating and stirring, making it up as I went along. Lemony singing with homemade butter, crème fraîche nuzzling in, adding another harmony. This is slow afternoon food.

I’ve eaten this dish three times this week. I think you’ll like it too.

SERVINGS
1 — double or triple if you want to feed more

INGREDIENTS
1 knob of butter
Zest of 1 medium lemon
Juice of 1/2 that lemon
Dollop of crème fraîche
1/2 teaspoon potato starch
1/4 cup water
Pinch of salt and pepper

PREPARATION
1. Slowly, heat up the butter until it has melted, but is not boiling. Throw in the lemon zest. Watch the little yellow curls dance. Add the lemon juice and bring it all to a lovely simmer. Dollop in the crème fraîche and stir.

2. At this point, the sauce will be delicious, but it might be a bit thin. If you wish, mix up the potato starch and water in a glass to make a little slurry. Splash in a bit of the slurry at a time, and then stir the sauce. Pretty immediately, the sauce should start to thicken. Stop before it becomes paste.

3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Toss this with the prepared pasta of your choice.

Suggestions: lately, I'm loving this with olives. (What don't I love with olives right now?) But when asparagus season hits, I'm going right for this with roasted asparagus tips. Artichoke hearts would be delicious. So would be a little crab. Try whatever food you like with lemons. Oh, and goat cheese on top.

comment