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1
Mound the flour on a clean work surface and make a wide well. Add the egg yolks to the well. Work from the centre outward, gradually incorporating the flour into the yolks until a rough dough forms. Knead steadily for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth, cohesive, and springs back slowly when pressed. Wrap and rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. The dough is ready when it no longer resists the hand and feels uniformly silky.
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2
Roll the sfoglia slightly thinner than for tagliatelle — the sheet must be thin enough to be nearly translucent when held to the light. Work the dough in portions, rolling outward from the centre. The thickness of the sheet determines the character of the finished pasta; a sheet too thick produces a pasta that is, by definition, not tagliolini.
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3
Lay the sheet on a lightly floured surface and allow it to dry to the precise point at which it can be handled without sticking to itself but remains fully pliable and will cut cleanly. The surface should feel dry to the touch but the sheet should bend without cracking.
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4
This is where the dish lives or dies. Roll the sheet loosely — do not press — and, using a very sharp knife, make perfectly parallel cuts at intervals of no more than 2–3 mm. Any cut wider than 3 mm produces tagliatelle; any irregular cut produces maltagliati. Unroll the ribbons immediately and form into small loose nests on a floured tray to prevent sticking. Inspect each nest: the ribbons must be uniform, fine, and distinct.
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5
Bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil and salt it well. In a wide pan, melt the butter over moderate heat until it foams; do not allow it to colour. Drop the tagliolini into the boiling water and cook for 60–90 seconds maximum — at this thinness, 30 seconds beyond the mark produces mush. Taste a strand at 60 seconds: it should be tender throughout with no raw flour taste and a silk-like yield between the teeth.
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6
Lift the tagliolini directly into the foaming butter using tongs or a spider, carrying a little pasta water with them. Toss for no more than 30 seconds over the heat until each ribbon is evenly coated and the butter emulsifies to a glossy, fluid sauce. Plate immediately in loose tangles. The pasta should glisten, not pool.
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7
Bring the plates to the table at once. Using a mandoline-style truffle slicer, shave the white truffle directly over the pasta tableside. The heat of the pasta releases the truffle's volatile aromatics; shaving more than a minute before service causes those compounds to dissipate. The aroma should rise immediately, complex and penetrating, the moment the truffle meets the heat.