Serves 4
Champagne Butter Sauce
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 cups Champagne or other sparkling wine
2/3 cups cold butter, cut into 2-inch cubes
Salt and pepper
Tagliatelle and Shrimp:
1 pound fresh tagliatelle, linguine, or spaghetti
1 tablespoon butter
1 large shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound shrimp
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup Champagne or other sparkling white wine
Chopped parsley, for garnish
Make the Champagne butter sauce: combine the shallots and Champagne in a pan over medium-high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to a glaze. Whisk in cold butter cubes a few at a time until sauce is thickened slightly. (For a cleaner sauce you may want to strain the shallots out, but I like the sweet astringency they lend to the dish.)
Cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain and return to the pot. Pour the Champagne butter sauce over the pasta and toss to combine. Set aside.
Cook the shrimp: heat the butter in the same pan you made the Champagne butter sauce in (this adds flavor and cuts down on dishes!). Add the shallots and garlic and cook until just softened. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through (this will only take a few minutes). Season with salt and pepper and deglaze the pan with the Champagne. Stir once and transfer the entire contents to the pasta pot. Toss to combine.
Serve the tagliatelle with shrimp and Champagne butter sauce in large shallow bowls. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
