A recipe by Jean-François Plante.
INGREDIENTS
- 300g linguine
- 150g thick bacon, diced
- 1 C. tablespoon butter
- 1 C. tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 nice leek
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 Cortland apple, peeled, cored and diced
- 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 1⁄2 cups 35% cream
- 150g grated sharp cheddar cheese
PREPARATION
1. Remove the white from the leek and save the green for another use. Halve the egg white lengthways. Rinse under cold water to remove any sand. Then cut into thin julienne strips. Book.
2. In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente.
3. Fry the diced bacon in a frying pan until crispy. Discard the fat and reserve the bacon on a paper towel.
4. In a large skillet, melt the butter in the oil over medium heat. Add the leek whites, garlic and apples, season with salt and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes without any coloring until the leeks become translucent. Deglaze with the broth, add the rosemary and let it reduce by half for about 3 minutes. Add cream and heat for 5 minutes.
5. Drain the pasta (reserving 1⁄4 cup of the cooking water) and set aside.
6. Gradually add the cheese to the sauce and stir gently until melted. Add the diced bacon, mix and season generously with freshly ground pepper.
7. Add the pasta to this sauce and mix gently to warm it up a little.
8. If desired, add some pasta cooking water to soften the sauce a little. Serve immediately in four deep bowls.