Twenty Yolk Tagliatelle
At BoccaLupo in Atlanta, Chef Bruce Logue is out-yolking Keller, Vetri, and Robbins.
20-yolk Tagliatelle, Wild Mushrooms, and Tuscan Kale Kimchi
Thomas Keller uses seven yolks; Marc Vetri, nine; Missy Robbins, 16. Bruce Logue uses 20 yolks—in addition to six whole eggs— to make an exceptionally decadent and toothsome tagliatelle. Inspired by all-egg-yolk pasta he tasted in Italy, Logue developed his recipe for the opening menu of BoccaLupo, an Italian-American restaurant where you can find him cooking pasta five nights a week. Why 20 yolks? Beyond added color and flavor, “the fat acts more like a shortening in the recipe, making the noodle feel softer and suppler,” says Logue.
In Italy, Logue noticed that each chef had his own special egg purveyor, and “their yolks had this bright yellow, beaming saffron color,” he says. Back in Georgia, Logue set out to find his own golden eggs. Different farmers had all kinds of theories about what produced the best eggs—terrain, diet, and more. Eventually, Logue selected two farms, with the majority of eggs coming from Holly Rock Farms in Ellijay. “The chickens follow a strict green grass-fed diet, and the eggs are not refrigerated,” he says. His 76-seat restaurant even has a dedicated wine cooler—set to 50°F—to hold the eggs at a steady temperature, which helps maintain the yolks’ integrity.
Chef Bruce Logue
20-yolk Tagliatelle, Wild Mushrooms, and Tuscan Kale Kimchi
How to Dough it
Form a well in 1.53 kilograms of 00 pasta flour, fill with 6 whole eggs and 20 yolks, and mix until just combined.
Split dough into 4 pieces and hand knead no longer than 3 minutes.
Rest dough 15 minutes.
It’s time to roll! A quarter sheet at a time, sheet dough just below no. 1 setting.
Cut the sheets into 12-inch by 12-inch rectangles, dust sheets lightly with semolina and stack.
Hand-cut tagliatelle and store in 4-ounce bundles.
At pick-up, cook the pasta and toss with wild mushrooms, Tuscan kale kimchi, and extra butter.
*PRO TIP: Logue prefers a dough sheeter fitted with wooden rollers instead of metal. “The wood helps stretch the pasta better because it’s a grippier surface than steel. It also leaves it with a micro-texture that is raspy and catches sauces better.”
