Carbonara is one of the dishes I had no experience with until a few years ago when I began learning to cook. Honestly, I'm not sure I had ever heard of it before then. I've experimented with different Carbonara recipes and had it once or twice in a restaurant, but this one is my favorite. It's the best I've found, if I do say so myself. To me, it's a perfect example of a few simple ingredients creating something that's greater than the sum of its parts. No complicated sauces here, only a handful of ingredients combined in just the right way. I found the following recipe on Epicurious.com. Many of the recipes on Epicurious are a little fussy for my taste (or, maybe they're just beyond my palate and level of expertise) but, this one I like. It also got thumbs up all around from both my kids, a hard to please foodie duo if ever there was one.

Ingredients

(One serving)

• 2 bacon slices, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 pound spaghetti
• 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano plus additional for serving
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon or parsley
• 1 large egg

Preparation

Cook bacon in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in a 4-quart saucepan of salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/3 cup cooking water, then transfer spaghetti with tongs to a small bowl, shaking off excess water, and keep pan of water simmering.

Pour off all but 2 teaspoons bacon fat from skillet, then whisk butter into fat in skillet over medium heat. Add spaghetti, reserved cooking water, cheese, and a rounded 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, until sauce is thickened and almost completely absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. Add bacon and 1 tablespoon tarragon and toss. Season with salt and pepper.

Break egg into a cup and gently slide into water. Poach at a bare simmer to desired doneness (we prefer a firm white with a runny yolk, 2 to 3 minutes).

Serve pasta topped with egg (transfer using a slotted spoon). Sprinkle with remaining tarragon if desired.