Pappardelle with Corn, Bacon and Sage in a Brown Butter Cream Sauce

One of my favorite combinations in the whole world is brown butter and sage, especially in the colder months.  Throw in some corn or butternut squash somewhere and you're really onto something special.

We had the jones for fresh pasta after reading about the folks at Sauced had their homemade orecchiette.  We had some corn in the freezer and some bacon... we were just a few herbs away from pasta bliss.

I hate to toot my own horn, but this was a triumph.  The combination of bacon, brown butter, sage and corn CANNOT BE STOPPED.  It CANNOT BE REASONED WITH.  It's just gonna keep on comin'.

I FINALLY got my hands on some chervil, which is NEVER available for some reason.  It added a slight aniseed hit and a really fresh, herby background note which really tied it all together. 

BASIC PASTA DOUGH

200g tipo '00' pasta flour or strong white bread flour

2 eggs

1 tsp olive oil

pinch of salt

Combine altogether until it forms a ball.  Knead furiously for 15 minutes until smooth and somewhat elastic.  Leave to rest for 15 minutes under a damp cloth.  Roll out in sheets using a pasta machine.  Hang the sheets to dry on a broomstick or something for at least 15 minutes to let it dry a bit.  Cut into pappardelle, dust liberally with flour and lay into a well-floured tray. 

PAPPARDELLE

3 big strips smoked bacon, cooked until crisp, blotted dry, crumbled

1 big chunk of unsalted butter

2 cups corn, rinsed (thawed if frozen)

20 or so leaves of sage, chopped

small handful chervil

salt and pepper

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup reserved pasta cooking water

Cook the bacon and set the crumbled bits aside.

Bring a big pot of salted water to the boil.  Get everything else going while you are waiting for the water to boil.

Put the butter in a deep pan over medium heat.  Let the butter melt and bubble.  After the bubbles subside, it will start to go brown and give off a nice nutty aroma.  Put the bacon in and stir it around and put in the corn.  Give it a stir and pull it off the heat.

When the water is boiling, put the pasta in for about 1-2 minutes or until done.  Reserve a bit of cooking water and drain the rest.

Put the bacon-butter-corn mixture back on medium heat.  Add the sage and cook for a minute or so, until the sage goes really green and is giving off good aroma.  Put the pasta in, followed by the cooking water, cream and salt and pepper.  Stir through to combine, then chuck in the chervil and give is a good toss.

Serve in deep bowls and top with Parmesan and/or a drizzle of good olive oil.  Serve hot. Serves 4 (or 2 greedy people).