Brown Butter Tomato Sauce with Spaghetti

Author

Helen Park

Servings

5 cups

Category

Condiment

Ingredients

• 1(8oz package) butter, the best quality you can find
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced or 1 Tbsp garlic slices
• 1 tsp Luberon blend
• Peperoncini or CRP blend to taste
• 1 quart basic tomato sauce or good quality jarred sauce
• Fresh Basil
• 3 ounces spaghetti (regular or gluten free) cooked per package instructions
• ½ cup brown butter tomato sauce
• Grated parmesan or pecorino cheese

Directions

1. In a heavy bottom sauce pot, melt the butter over medium heat until the foaming subsides.
2. Add the heavy cream and raise the heat to bring the mixture to a boil, occasionally scraping the bottom and sides of the pot with a silicone spatula.  
3. When the mixture breaks, reduce the heat to simmer.  If using fresh garlic, add the slices now and continue scraping and whisking to keep the caramelizing milk solids from sticking to the pot. 
4. The browned bits should be in the butter and getting nutty.  If using dried garlic slices, add them now.
5. When the brown butter has reached the color of freshly ground coffee (as nutty brown as it can go before scorching), add the tomato sauce.  Give the pan another good scrape with the spatula to deglaze any last brown bits from the pan.
6. Add the Luberon and pepperoncini if using.  Bring the sauce to boil and reduce the heat to simmer for 10 minutes, whisking to bring the sauce and brown butter together.
7. For the spaghetti: Finish the cooked pasta in a pan with a half a cup of the browned butter tomato sauce, adding a few spoons of pasta water as needed to glaze the pasta.  Serve with grated cheese.