Creamy Lemon Spaghetti

Ingredients

• 2 lemons, preferably Meyer lemons
• 1 pound spaghetti or other long noodles
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 sprig fresh basil, plus basil leaves for garnish
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the zest from the lemons in strips into a bowl and set aside. Squeeze 1/4 cup of juice from the lemons and reserve both the rinds and the juice.
2. Fill a large pot with water, add the lemon rinds and bring to a boil. Salt the water generously, add the spaghetti and cook for 2 minutes shy of the package instructions; the noodles should be slightly soft with a firm chew to them. Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the spaghetti.
3. Meanwhile, combine the cream, lemon zest and basil in a saucepan large enough to hold the pasta and sauce. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, pushing down on the zest with a spoon to release the oils, then remove and discard the zest and basil sprig. Slowly whisk the butter into the cream, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until fully emulsified (this is important to the final consistency of the sauce).
4. Add the salt to the sauce, then whisk in 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water.
5. Add the pasta, along with the cheese and lemon juice, and toss and turn the noodles to fully coat with the sauce and melt the cheese. If necessary, season to taste with more salt and/or stir in additional pasta water to achieve the desired creaminess.
6. Serve the pasta immediately in warm serving bowls with more grated cheese and black pepper on top.