Homemade pasta is well worth the extra effort, but high-quality, store-bought fresh pasta can be substituted. A kitchen scale is needed for the pasta recipe.
Equipment
- pasta machine
Ingredients
PASTA
- 200 grams 00 extra fine flour
- 25 grams semolina flour
- 127 grams large eggs from 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon water, as needed
CONFIT TOMATOES
- 10 ounces cherry tomatoes
- 5 large whole cloves garlic, paper removed
- 2 inch parmesan rind, broken in half
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
- 1-2 cups olive oil
ASSEMBLY
- 2 camembert wheels
- fresh pasta
- 1 cup confit tomatoes
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
- salt, to taste
- fresh basil, to garnish
- freshly ground black pepper, to garnish
Instructions
PASTA
- Combine both flours and empty onto a clean surface. Shape a well into center of flour pile and add eggs, using a fork to beat them gently. Using same fork, scrape flour walls into eggs and continue to mix until a shaggy dough forms. Knead pasta dough for 10 full minutes; it should become smooth and easy to handle after kneading. If dough remains too dry, add a small amount of water, being careful not to make it too wet. Cover dough ball with plastic wrap and let it rest on counter at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
- Cut prepared dough into six small pieces with a bench scraper. Flatten each piece slightly. Set a pasta machine to widest level, either 0 or 1. Run each piece of dough through roller 3 times, then adjust to next smallest level. Repeat this process for 6 levels. Keep each piece nicely coated in semolina flour while it rests. If pasta dough begins to dry out at any point during rolling, use a few drops of water or olive oil to keep it hydrated.
- Change the pasta machine to fettuccine cutter or use a sharp knife to cut pasta sheets into one-quarter-inch slices. Lay each noodle individually on a flat surface to dry before cooking.
CONFIT TOMATOES
- Heat oven to 250°F. Combine tomatoes, garlic, parmesan rind, and salt in a small baking dish. Carefully pour oil over top until just covered. If oil comes close to top of baking dish, place on a sheet pan to avoid spilling into oven. Bake for 2 hours.
ASSEMBLY
- Freeze camembert wheels for about 10 minutes. Cut a circle on top of each wheel using a sharp paring knife or a large biscuit cutter. Spoon out most of interior to create a cavity. Set aside hollow rind to soften slightly, about an hour, and measure 113 grams (about ⅓ heaping cup) of scooped camembert.
- Boil 4 quarts of generously salted water, and cook fresh pasta for 4 minutes until al dente.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium and add confit tomatoes and garlic. Use a wooden spoon to break up tomatoes and crush garlic cloves. Remove from heat and whisk in heavy cream. Mix in camembert and parmesan until glossy. If more heat is needed to melt cheeses and thicken sauce, cook over low until just melted.
- Transfer cooked pasta into cream sauce, bringing along a little starchy cooking water. Stir to coat pasta evenly; taste and salt until just right. Use tongs to twirl large servings of pasta into a cone shape and transfer to hollow camembert wheels. Garnish with fresh basil and freshly cracked pepper.
Jenny Bravo
Jenny Bravo is a food photographer and the owner of a production studio and online home decor store in Portland, ME. Having started her career out of culinary school as a private chef, she is passionate about developing simple and elegant seasonal recipes.
