Pappardelle ~ Apple, Fig, Pistachio, Mint, Saffron Cream

Pappardelle with Saffron Cream
Apple, Fig, Pistachio, Mint

  • Our 5 Star Makeover Cooking Club is featuring apples for the fabulous September event.
  • My family and friends are celebrating the Jewish New Year 5773. And I’m thinking about noodle kugel. Kugel is a sweet Jewish casserole. I bake mine with egg noodles, golden raisins, cottage cheese, cinnamon, and apples. I was also thinking about my saffron matzoh balls…
  • My little guy Wilson needed some tests. When I dropped him off, his awesome veterinarian gave me a big basket of fresh figs from her garden.

These three events cosmically intertwined. Apples & figs collided with noodles & saffron. And the result was a delightful vegetarian pasta with a luxurious saffron cream sauce. It was an exotic marriage of sweet & savory, creamy & crunchy. The colors were glorious ~ golden yellow saffron, pale green granny smith apples, pink salmon-hued figs, and bright green mint.

The 5 Star Makeover Cooking Group hosted by Natasha the 5 Star Foodie & Lazaro of Lazaro Cooks! is an outstanding monthly event for sharing ideas and creating gourmet makeovers of selected classic dishes or flavor combinations. September’s theme is APPLES.

“Apples. Lots of space there for creative playing. Makeover a classic dish where apple is the main attraction or make something totally new. Just have fun with it. That’s what this is all about. “

Laz & Natasha have posted the round-up of our Cooking Group’s apple creations here. Please join us, in pomme heaven…

Saffron Cream Recipe (vegan)

vegan saffron cream sauce

  • 1  1/2 T. olive oil
  • 1 shallot minced
  • 1/2 c. dry white wine
  • 1 c. vegan cream
  • 1 generous pinch saffron threads
  • 1 1/2 T. nutritional yeast flakes
  • sea salt
  • cayenne pepper

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, sauté shallot in olive oil until soft but not brown. Add wine then reduce by half. Add cream, yeast flakes, and saffron whisking for 5 minutes. Season with sea salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

fig pasta, saffron pasta sauce
Toss pappardelle pasta with the saffron cream. Finish the dish with wedges of granny smith apple, fig, chopped pistachio, and a chiffonade of fresh mint.

california figs

With the conclusion of Yom Kippur

I wish all of you ~ my family and friends ~ a New Year that is sweet and good. 

May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for a healthy, peaceful, and fulfilling year.

And may this new year bring satisfaction, achievement, and happiness. L’Shana Tova!


21 thoughts on “Pappardelle ~ Apple, Fig, Pistachio, Mint, Saffron Cream”

  1. Your dish looks beautiful and I love how you got your inspiration for it. Now for the matzo balls and kugel recipes. I’d love to try yours as a new addition to our menu.

    Thanks for the wishes and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year to you and yours.

  2. Very beautiful presentation and a creative recipe. I’ve never used two of the ingredients (cashew cream and yeast flakes), but I understand their contribution to the dish. Well done, as always, LL!

    BTW, saffron is such an under-used ingredient; yet, it totally transforms a dish from the aroma, to the look, to the taste. I’ll be posting a dish this weekend that features a yellow tomato saffron sauce and while the sauce started out as just something to bring it all together, it ended up being the star of the meal.

    Best wishes to you and your family for 5773. Funny, you don’t look that old. 🙂

  3. I love flavors you’ve combined in that lovely sauce. I have a bag of nutritional yeast in my pantry that I’m always looking for new uses for. Happy that you used apple + fig — perfect for September!

  4. I’ve never used pappardelle pasta before but I think my kids like these fat and thick pasta. Saffron cream sounds goooood! Your ingredients are so simple yet you know how to produce the best flavor from all the ingredients. Very nice recipe as always! Have a nice weekend LL!

  5. Another beautiful dish. What a great idea to do the cashew butter and saffron. I am dreaming of that combination already. The flavors and colors are beautiful… a great dish for an apple challenge!

  6. Five star challenge – 5 star dish! I could easily eat a bowl of the noodles with saffron cream alone, but the addition of the apples and figs really makes this a gourmet dish! Beautiful and delicious!

  7. This sounds delicious Lori! I love all the components here.. I don’t often cook with mint.. but I can really imagine the pairing with the apples and figs. And oh yum.. the crunch of pistachios!! Out of this world.

  8. As always a stunning dish, full of flavor and charm. Any restaurant would be proud to serve this. Looking at this creativity, I wonder why do we get the same old dishes when we eat out. I think chefs should read more blogs. 🙂

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