Giada De Laurentiis’ Sweet Fresh Fettuccine Is ‘Very Unexpected — and Very Delicious’
When most people think of fettuccine, recipes featuring creamy and decadent sauces come to mind.
Food Network’s Giada De Laurentiis turns this idea on its head with her family’s definitely-not-for-dinner fettuccine recipe. It’s a welcome dish that may become a new favorite dessert.
The chef’s sweet fresh fettuccine was her grandfather’s ‘treat’
De Laurentiis’ recipe calls for heavy cream, lemon and orange zest, honey, kosher salt, lemon juice, semisweet chocolate, and chopped toasted hazelnuts.
Fresh fettuccine pasta is the star of the dish and will need just all-purpose flour and eggs.
The chef in her cookbook Everday Pasta explained her family recipe: “My grandfather would occasionally make this for us as a special breakfast treat when I was young; now I serve it as an unusual first course for a fancy dinner or even, occasionally, for dessert. It’s very unexpected—and very delicious.”
She adds as a warning: “Serve it in small portions, as it is quite rich.”
Giada De Laurentiis’ fettuccine recipe is perfect for desserts
The chef starts by heating the cream, zests, honey, and salt in a skillet over medium heat. She notes to be careful “not to let it boil.” Instead, it should “cook at a bare simmer,” for about four minutes.
Boil the pasta, allowing it to cook until it’s “tender but still firm to the bite.” It’s drained well, then tossed with the skillet sauce. Place the pasta in four bowls, sprinkle with shaved chocolate and the hazelnuts, and serve right away.
De Laurentiis notes that dried pasta can be used for the recipe, “cooked in a large pot of salted boiling water until just al dente.” Keep in mind, however, that if you’re using fresh-made pasta, she writes in her cookbook, it “should be cooked quickly (monitor it carefully as it can overcook in a matter of seconds) and then tossed with the sauce in a serving bowl; don’t cook the two together or the dish will become gummy.”
Get the complete recipe and reviews on Food Network’s site.
De Laurentiis says fresh pasta can even be made by hand
On her lifestyle and recipe blog Giadzy, the chef explained that you don’t really need a pasta machine to make your own fettuccine. Just use your fingers; in fact, it’s a fun family project!
“It’s no doubt that pasta machines make the shaping process a whole lot more efficient – but there is something to be said about the rustic, homemade quality of shaping pasta by hand,” her blog says. “It turns dinnertime into a craft that everyone can get into – especially kids! – and it’s all the more rewarding to eat a dinner that had so much extra love go into it.”
Many reviewers on Food Network’s site praised De Laurentiis’ surprisingly sweet pasta dish, saying “I didn’t make the pasta from scratch, but it was still very good. … It was really sweet with the citrus and chocolate” and “This meal is very simple, yummy and different than anything else. What else could you possibly wish for?”
