Carbonara Recipe

Bring 3 liters of water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add 2 tablespoons of salt. Add 400 g spaghetti and cook until very al dente (about 8–9 minutes depending on package instructions) — it will finish cooking when tossed with the sauce.

Before draining, reserve about 200 ml of the starchy pasta cooking water in a heatproof cup or bowl. Drain the spaghetti quickly and set aside in the colander for immediate use.

Make the egg-cheese mixture

In a medium bowl, combine 4 egg yolks and 1 whole egg. Whisk until smooth and slightly foamy. Add 100 g finely grated Parmesan and 75 g creme fraiche. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Whisk to a thick, homogeneous mixture. Set aside. The mixture should be creamy — the creme fraiche helps stabilize the sauce and reduce risk of curdling.

While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced 150 g pancetta (or guanciale). If the pancetta is very lean, add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Optionally add 1 peeled garlic clove whole to the pan to flavor the fat; remove and discard before combining with pasta.

Cook the pancetta, stirring occasionally, until it is crisp and golden and has released its fat, about 6–8 minutes. Reduce heat to low to keep warm. If there's excess fat (more than ~2 tablespoons), spoon off a little, leaving enough to coat the pasta.

Working quickly with the skillet off (or with the heat very low), add the drained hot spaghetti to the pan with the pancetta and toss to coat in the rendered fat for 15–30 seconds.

Remove the pan from direct heat. Pour the egg-parmesan-creme fraiche mixture over the pasta and toss vigorously with tongs or two forks to coat each strand. Add pasta cooking water a little at a time (start with 100 ml), tossing constantly, until the sauce becomes glossy and silky and clings to the pasta. Use up to the reserved 200 ml as needed to reach a creamy consistency. The residual heat from the pasta will gently cook the eggs without scrambling them.

Taste and adjust seasoning — add a pinch more salt only if needed (remember the pancetta and parmesan are salty). If the sauce seems too thick, add spoonfuls of the reserved cooking water until desired creaminess is reached.

Divide the pasta among warm plates. Finish with extra 20 g grated Parmesan and a crack of freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately.