Incredible! I made this dish last night for my girlfriend who described it as orgasmic after only the first mouthful! I essentially followed the recipe, but altered it slightly as per one previous reviewer. I sauteed swiss brown mushrooms in butter and olive oil then flamed them with a dash of brandy. Also added a teaspoon of garlic to the shallots and champagne. I used drained plum tomatoes instead of fresh, and added all the cream to the tomato sauce. I used a good champagne and it was worth the expense. Overall, probably the best pasta I have ever eaten, and I have eaten in michelin starred restaurants in Italy. The flavours are subtle, and the recipe does NOT need the garlic unless you definitely must have it. Not sure what difference using fresh tomatoes would make, but the drained canned tomatoes did not detract from the dish in my opinion. I will definitely be adding this recipe to my list of keepers. Outstanding.
This was an incredible recipe but I did make just a few changes. First, I added 1/2 of a medium onion instead of shallots and I added 3 cloves of garlic for extra flavor. I cooked the onions, garlic, and mushrooms together in the olive oil also with a few tablespoons of butter and then followed the directions for the rest of the recipe. I will surely be making this recipe again and again... it was excellent!
I made this for new year's eve and it was the BEST dish I have ever made!! Definitely restaurant quality!! I did make a few changes...I used 1/2 lb. of shrimp & 1/2 lb. scallops, linguine rather than angel hair, baby bella mushrooms and grape tomatoes. I used a really dry champagne (Freixenet Brut), which I think is important. I don't think the sauce would turn out very well if you used a sweet champagne. The flavor concentrates when you're cooking with alcohol, so you want to use a champagne you would drink from the glass. Since I used a dry champagne, the grape tomatoes gave it just the right amount of sweetness. I think next time I will add some lump crabmeat. YUM!! Can't wait to make this for company. We'll be making this for many years to come!
This is an excellent recipe.....as is.
I made this recipe exactly as specified, and it will definitely be something I will use as a standby when I'm looking to impress. Not only were the flavors unbelievable, but the recipe itself is well-written and easy to follow. Great for a romantic dinner.
***Just a follow-up: I tried to double this recipe and it ended up taking a LOT longer to reduce the sauce. Add extra time if you plan to do this.
This recipe was so yummy and rich with flavor. My husband said it tasted as good as Red Lobster. I cooked the mushrooms in butter and wine instead of oil for about 5 minutes then I added some Brandy and let her fire up to get the mushroomy taste out. When I cooked the tomatoes and minced shallots I mixed in about two little spoons of minced garlic. I thought it would appear too Garlicy, but it was fine. Instead of Champagne, I used a nice Chardonnay that really complimented the dish and added a dash of a sweet white wine but not much. Hubby doesn't like sweet stuff. I cooked the shallots, Garlic and Tomatoes about 12 minutes instead of 8. It seemed to come out really thick and not thin like everyone else said. Instead of plum tomatoes I bought a can of diced tomatoes and used about 3/4 of the can and it still came out beautifully. At the end I used all of the cream on the stove together. I didn't put any cream on the pasta before hand. I also used Basil instead of Parsley. Thanks Tricia Flasck, for the beautiful elegant dinner. It is all well worth making.
Wow. Great stuff - and this relatively new cook was kept on his toes, especially since there was Ali's Amazing Bruschetta (also available on this website) to time out as well. I recommend you read the recipe a couple of times before beginning. There are a couple of critical junctures where one must be absolutely ready to move to the next step. Have your ingredients measured and waiting in the wings. Then like me, you won't frantically be running your finger up and down the ingredient list looking for the right amount of this or that! Sheesh, it was all worth it because the recipe was exceptional, but man oh man - it sure became hectic a couple of times. My wife and son both loved it. My son said it was one of the best meals I have ever made (I chose to take that as a compliment)!
cooked this tonight for my date, and it was soooo good!!! definitly a keeper. i added asparagus tips and artichoke hearts and doubled the sauce recipe. i used asti spumante, which gave it a great sweet taste. next time, ill use shrimp that has already been peeled to save time.
What a delicious and different way to make shrimp.
impressive for guests... I didn't have any champagne on hand, so I substituted with white wine, but lessened the quantity to 1/2 - 3-4 cups since wine and especially homemade wine is stronger. I also like to let it simmer on the lowest setting for about 10-15 minutes to combine all the wonderful tastes.
Sauce just never came together for me on this one -- I thought boiling champagne and cream seemed like a bad idea, as the golden rule of cooking with cream is generally not to boil it - especially in conjunction with a thinner liquid - and it was,... perhaps I should have reduced the champagne further as the sauce just broke apart.
