Fettuccine con Prosciutto di Parma e panna

Emilia-Romagna
Preparation - Easy
Serves 4

Parma in Emilia-Romagna is famous for its prosciutto and of course Parmesan cheese. Prosciutto di Parma is considered by most to be the best there is. Others consider prosciutto di San Daniele equal to if not better. This recipe is a scrumptious way to combine the two.
Try to get a top-quality prosciutto for this wonderful sauce as well as fresh pasta, either homemade or store bought fresh pasta.

1-cup heavy cream
1/4 lb prosciutto, cut to 1-inch long strips
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg yolk
salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 T butter
1 lb fresh pasta, homemade or store bought

Cook pasta.
While pasta cooks, mix the cream, ham, 1/2 cup Parmesan, egg yolk and a few grinds of the pepper mill in a large bowl till smooth.
Place sauce in a heavy pan and warm over very low heat, stirring quite frequently, about 3 minutes.
When pasta is done, drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.
Transfer the just drained past to a warm bowl.
Add the butter and toss well.
Now, pour the cream sauce over the buttered pasta.
If not moist enough for your taste, add a tablespoon of cooking liquid for desired moisture.

Alternatively, use a large enough pan for the preparation of the sauce and transfer pasta directly into the pan, which is the way I prefer to do it.