Creamy Corn Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto

Method

1. Prep the corn. Cut the kernels from the 4 ears, then scrape the cobs with the back of your knife to collect the milky juice. That liquid is pure flavour.
2. Soften the aromatics. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium. Add the shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook until softened and fragrant, blooming the flakes in the fat.
3. Cook the corn. Add the corn and its juice, a couple of big pinches of salt, and plenty of black pepper. Cook until tender and juicy.
4. Deglaze and blend. Pour in the wine to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits. Blend about half the corn mixture with an immersion blender (or in a blender), leaving some whole kernels for texture, then return it to the pan.
5. Simmer the sauce. Stir in the heavy cream and simmer on low until slightly thickened. Taste for salt.
6. Crisp the prosciutto. Meanwhile, lay the prosciutto on a sheet pan and bake at 400°F until crisp. Let cool, then crumble.
7. Cook the pasta. Cook the shells in heavily salted water until 2 minutes shy of al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
8. Bring it together. Add the pasta and about 1 cup pasta water to the sauce. Stir in the Parmesan and the zest of half the lemon, tossing until creamy and glossy.
9. Finish and serve. Off the heat, add a small squeeze of lemon juice and taste. Add more juice, butter, or salt if it feels flat. Top with torn basil, the crispy prosciutto, and extra red pepper flakes if you like more heat.