I was really feeling a pasta night, although I feel that most nights. I decided to make linguine and bolengaise which is most likely my favorite pasta dish! It is a meat sauce taken up 10 notches, with the addition of mirepoix, extra garlic, and a "splash"red wine to make it that much more flavorful. I also had this idea, to create a zabaglione, which is egg yolk and water whisked over a double boiler, until the egg yolk becomes "cake batter consistency". This is usually the process in creating a hollandaise sauce, but... this is not what I was making. Instead I took the zabaglione and folded it into ricotta cheese. There have been times in the past, when I have eaten Bolognese with ricotta, and I think it changes the whole profile of the dish. I don't mix in the cheese, I usually just place a dollop on top. I thought the egg yolk would make the cheese that much more creamy as well as add a little color to the dish. I seasoned with a little nutmeg and salt, making it a creamy and dreamy experience!

Plating:

I used a plating spoon, which is a smaller version of a serving spoon, to place down a little bit of the zabiglione and ricotta mixture at one end of the plate pulling it toward me, creating a "swoosh" effect. Thereafter I placed down the pasta. I follow Chef Steps on Instagram where I see posts of a particular way in plating long pastas like fettuccine or spaghetti. I wanted to try and mimic that chic style in my dish! In order to do this I had to use a carving fork to twirl the linguine in which I then placed it toward the end of the zabiglione "swoosh"! A background of red decor highlighted the tomato in the sauce. And the wine setup set a romantic theme.