• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt. Cook the pasta until just al dente. Before draining, reserve 3 cups of pasta water.

Caramelized onions

• slice your onions thinly and evenly so they cook at the same rate. Dont dice. long slices caramelize more beautifully and develop a wonderful jammy texture
• heat a large, wide stainless steel or cast-iron pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter melts a bit, add all the onions, salt, and sugar.Stir well to coat the onions in fat, then reduce the heat to medium-low
• continue cooking for 35–45 minutes, stirring every few minutes. The onions will go from translucent, to pale golden , down to a deep amber
• If brown bits form on the bottom, deglaze with a tablespoon of water or stock and scrape them up, that’s still flavor !
• in the last minute, throw in your minced garlic. Sprinkle in the white pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir to coat and let the spices bloom in the residual oil from our onions
• after a minute, stir in the chili crisp. Let it sizzle for 30–60 seconds to release its flavor into the caramelized onions

Sauce

• Stir in the crème fraîche and two cups of your pasta water, mixing until creamy and emulsified
• Add the al dente pasta directly into the pan and toss everything together over low heat. Add more pasta water as needed until the sauce is glossy and coats the noodles beautifully (this is where you decide if you want to add the full extra cup of pasta water depending on how saucy you'd like your pasta)
• turn off the heat, then stir in your parmesan and two tablespoons of butter for a beautiful, silky pasta. turning the heat off keeps the cheese from clumping, letting it melt smoothly into your sauce, while the butter adds a glossy shine without needing more heat to melt
• taste, and adjust salt
• (i personally added about 2 tsp of fine sea salt when I mixed in the last of my pasta water, but the final saltiness depends on your pasta water, your chili crisp, and your parm, so always taste before adding more)
• garnish with freshly chopped parsley, and a drizzle of you chili crips oil
• and you're done!