Pasta with Smoked Salmon

I recently wrote about making pasta with crème fraîche, just like I learned in France.  If you read that post, you may recall that my first crème fraîche pasta experience was when my French Mom served it with smoked salmon.  This time, I decided to take advantage of the beautiful Spring weather we had on Saturday and walk myself to Eataly where I could purchase high quality smoked salmon and fresh made pasta.  Inspired half by my study abroad experiences and half by Martha Stewart, the finished pasta was a perfect combination of European and American tastes.

After I found this recipe for farfalle with smoked salmon from Martha Stewart, I renewed my quest to recreate the French dish I had years ago.  I used the dill, capers, and red onion from the martha recipe but substituted crème fraîche for cream cheese and used a long pasta instead of a short one.  I'm not a fan of raw red onion, even when sliced super thin on a mandolin like it was here.  It's just not my thing and I can't be someone that I'm not.  If you like it, go for it; if you don't, there's no shame in leaving it out.  In the words of Beyonce, you're a grown woman you can do whatever you want.

This should basically be called the everything bagel pasta.  It has all the flavors you love from Sunday brunch, but the crème fraîche and fresh salmon make it feel distinctly European.  Quality salmon is key here.  You want it to be salty but not overwhelmingly so, and it shouldn't be so thick that you need a knife to cut through it.  This dish, especially if you use fresh pasta, is super light for a pasta meal so it is ideal for springtime.