Chef Kataoka's Carbonara (Classic & Variation)

Prepare the bacon. The savory fat of the bacon is what matters, so focus on how to draw that fat out. Pancetta or guanciale work too, but bacon is used here.

Crush the garlic, put it in the pan, and slowly draw out its aroma and oil over low heat. Be careful, as high heat will burn it.

Once the garlic is fragrant, remove it and add the bacon. Since the heat is low, the fat won't splatter. Brown it lightly to bring out the savory flavor while thoroughly rendering the bacon fat.

Add a little heavy cream and season with just a touch of salt.

Add the cooked 1.6mm spaghetti to the pan. Turn off the heat here and toss with the residual heat so the pasta absorbs the savory bacon fat.

With the heat off, pour in all the egg mixture at once and stir quickly. Always keep the heat off, since cooking it will turn it into scrambled eggs. The cream adds moisture, so it mixes easily and comes out well.

Once everything is smoothly coated, plate it and the classic carbonara is done. It has a bold flavor, and eating it right away is recommended.

[Variation] Add more heavy cream to the egg mixture in the bowl than in the classic version.

Prepare the asparagus and smoked salmon. Since the smoked salmon is salty, use less cheese and add only a touch of salt.

Pour white wine into the pan and reduce it lightly, then add the smaller 80g portion of pasta. Keep the pasta amount modest since other ingredients are going in. Add pasta cooking water once to adjust the saltiness and consistency.

Add the thinly sliced asparagus and the smoked salmon, then add the egg mixture and toss well to coat.

Plate it, scatter pink peppercorns over the top, and finish by generously shaving white truffle on top. If you don't have white truffle, you can shave firm, freshly picked mushrooms instead.