Nicoise pasta

Put a large pot of salted water on high heat. Drop in the linguine once the water comes to a boil. When the pasta's about 3/4 cooked, moved onto Step 2.

Add a splash of extra virgin olive oil to a large pan on medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and sweat gently for 1 minute. Add the basil and cook another 1 minute. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the cream, along with a good pinch of salt and a pinch of ground white pepper. Let the sauce warm through as the pasta finishes cooking.

When the pasta's cooked, drag the noodles into the pan of sauce. If it all gets too clumpy, add a splash of pasta cooking water. Stir in the butter, then serve with a cloud of freshly grated parmesan on top.