Pappardelle with Scallops in Saffron Cream Sauce

What could be better than hand-cut pappardelle with succulent scallops, all drenched in a luxuriously fragrant saffron cream sauce. This is a recipe that's sure to impress even the most discerning palates.

Ingredients

(serves 2-4)

  • Pappardelle noodles, either hand cut from pasta sheets or dried store bought pasta. 

  • 1 tbsp. butter

  • 2 tbsp olive oil 

  • 1 large shallot, minced 

  • 4 cloves garlic

  • 1 cup dry white wine

  • A pinch of saffron threads

  • ⅓ cup  heavy cream

  • ¼ cup parmesan (grated) 

  • 8 large scallops (or really as many as you want) 

  • Salt and pepper

  • Parsley to garnish.

  1. If you’re making your own pasta, you can use my pasta sheets recipe to start.  Once you’ve created sheets, cut pasta into roughly ½” wide strips, making sure to flour liberally to keep these from sticking. 

  2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  

  3. Rinse and dry scallops, then season with salt and pepper.  

  4. Mince shallots and garlic. Use the back of a spoon to break saffron threads up in a small bowl or ramekin.  Once your water is boiling, add a splash of hot water to the bowl to “bloom” your saffron.

  5. Heat up a deep sauce pan and add a dash of olive oil. Once the oil shimmers, place your scallops in and sear each side. Once you start to see little cracks form and internal temp reaches 110 F, remove scallops and let them rest.  

  6. Deglaze your pan with white wine and add the butter, garlic, and shallots.  Saute until translucent and add your bloomed saffron water and cream. Then salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat while you cook your pasta.  

  7. Drop pasta into boiling water. Cook until very al dente (still quite chewy). For homemade pasta, this could be as little as 2-3 minutes.  Add about ⅓ cup of the pasta water to your saffron sauce, then strain pasta.  

  8. Return your sauce to heat and stir in cooked pasta, being careful not to break the noodles. Grate a generous amount of parmesan over pasta. 

  9. Using tongs to gently twirl your pasta and plop on your plates to serve.  Add more parmesan.  Then place the scallops on top and garnish with parsley or basil. 

Instructions: