Carbonara:With cream or without?

[LetThereBeRock]

I'm going to attempt making Jamie Oliver's sausage carbonara tonight.

I don't usually use cream in carbonara but I can't decide if I should go out and get some cream as the recipe does call for it.

I'm curious to know if others prepare their carbonara with cream or not?

Its supposed to be without isnt it but we do it with and I prefer it - it completely takes away that chance of scrambed egg as well if you're not paying attention...the dcs like it too.

My DP makes it without and it's very good.. but i haven't seen jamie's recipe, ours is very simple i think (i don't make it )

I always use cream for Carbonara. I find it makes a nicer sauce than without and and as Omnishambles said it stops the scrambled egg thing

We have it both ways but I do like it with cream. Makes it a bit more treaty.

Always use cream.

And a knorr chicken stick cube

it's too gloopy with cream imo. think the cream thing started here because italian restaurants realised they were piss-takers for charging seven quid for a bowl of pasta, an egg, some bacon and a couple of slivers of garlic. added value, innit?

without cream

carbonara sans cream??!! Zut alors!!

Cream, but only a small amount.

Have also used low fat yoghurt or fromage frais before, which was OK.

With for us and lots of too. Mmmmmmm fatty.

I think it'll have to be sans cream tonight. I'm too lazy to go out and get some.

sans cream doesn't actually make it less fatty, of course... not if you add more olive oil. (must say the idea of sausage carbonara turns my stomach. although i have done a lovely creamy sage pasta with roast pumpkin and italian sausage, so if it's along those lines.)

That sounds incredible.

I am using Italian sausages but I've no pumpkin unfortunately.

if it's italian snags then yum, lol i was thinking butchers...

I think it tastes much nicer with fromage frais rather than cream. I only use cream if I have nothing else.

You definitely need a good splash of cream, or the egg will just set and go scrambly - uurggh. The cream will make a nicer runnier sauce that will coat the pasta. And all this talk of yoghurt and fromage frais?

But Mascarpone is an acceptable pasta sauce additive, (though not technically correct for carbonara) so I can get my head around FF (just) but yoghurt - no way.

those poor italians, getting carbonara wrong all this time...

Without cream, definitely - splash in some of the cooking water from the pasta to prevent the scrambled egg thingy. That Gennaro bloke who's like Jamie O's second father said this, so it must be true

oh yes deffo do that, pasta water tastes lush as well. and a dod more oil.

I suppose it's one of those things that varies regionally - but I've only ever seen one in a restaurant (in the UK) that didn't have cream and it was dry and very unappealing, and wasn't at all what the recipient expected. And I've eaten in Italy with cream.

Same with moules marinieres - lots of argument about whether the mussel liquer should have a splash of cream or not - technically I think it may be wrong, but personally I would say yes every time. Too watery without.

restaurants put cream in because it's added value and because it's easier to prep, not because it tastes better. because tbh it doesn't, a proper, well-cooked carbonara alla ricetta cucchiaio d'argento is infinitely tastier.

With cream here - primarily so that DH doesn't finally notice that there is barely cooked egg in the sauce, and have a fit of the vapours.

I like the sound of Sausage Carbonara Letthereberock can you link the recipe?

DP is Italian and makes Carbonara without cream. If I have a recipe that asks for it I usually use creme fraiche instead.

I made the saudage carbonara once and it was very sickly and too rich.

Sausage carbonara sounds very odd to me. I make a mean carbonara without cream but you do have to watch it closely to prevent scrambled egg pasta. I put lots of shaved parmesan in it too and I love some leeks in as well as the bacon, mushrooms and onion. omnomnom.