Pasta with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

1. Boil Water

Bring a pot of water to a boil, using just enough water to cover the pasta by 1-2 inches. This will save you some time waiting for the water to boil and will also ensure that you have plenty of starch in the pasta water to help hold your emulsion (which is what makes restaurant pasta so good!). Add about two teaspoons of salt per quart of water, right before you're going to use it, as you don't want the water to reduce and become too salty. Once boiling, turn the heat to low and place a lid on the pot until you're ready to cook the pasta.

2. Cook the Mushrooms

In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the sliced mushrooms until golden brown; about 10-15 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt as you're cooking, which will help draw out some of the moisture in the mushrooms. Don't rush this step as the difference in flavor between a lightly sauteed mushroom, and a deeply caramelized one is significant.

3. Sweat Aromatics

Add the garlic and shallot to the pan with the mushrooms with another pinch of salt. Continue to sauté until they soften.

4. Deglaze

Pour in the white wine, stirring well to release any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Let the wine reduce by about 90%.

5. Add Cream

Mix in the heavy cream and allow the sauce to simmer, letting the flavors combine and the cream reduce by about 25%.

6. Cook Pasta

Bring the water back to a boil and toss in the pasta and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute less than the package suggests for al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.

7. Sauce Pasta

Combine the partially cooked pasta with the cream sauce and a 1/4 cup of pasta water. Cook over medium heat to reduce the sauce to the correct consistency and finish cooking the pasta. The sauce should be thick enough to cling to each piece of pasta while not so thick that the noodles are clumping tightly together, and remember that the sauce will thicken a bit more on the plate as it cools.

8. Finishing Flavors

Remove the pan from the heat and add in the cheese and parsley, stirring and tossing until the cheese has fully melted and the sauce is smooth. Adjust the consistency of the sauce with a splash of pasta water if it's gotten too thick. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed. Plate and serve.