AlfredOMG! sauce

As promised kids, here is the recipe. I do not claim that this is an authentic Alfredo sauce. I only know that I judge Italian restaurants by their Alfredo, and the places whose sauce tickles my taste buds have stayed in business far longer than those whose sauces were thin, bland, and without character.

This is NOT "low-cal", "low-fat" or low flavor. This sauce is guaranteed to clog your arteries, raise your blood pressure, and spoil you for any other Alfredo-style sauce forever more.

You've been warned...

2-3 TBSP salted BUTTER
2 TBSP finely chopped garlic
2-3 TBSP flour
1/2-1 tsp Sea Salt (to taste)
1/4-1/2 tsp ground white pepper (to taste)
2 cups Heavy whipping cream -or- Half&Half
1/4 cup aged grated Romano (at least 9 months)
1/2 cup aged grated Parmesan (at least 18 months)
1/4 cup aged shredded Parmesan (at least 24 months)

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on low heat until all is liquid and then increase the heat until the butter begins foaming off the whey.

Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes until lightly toasted. DO NOT burn the garlic.

Add the flour and whisk thoroughly to ensure incorporation and cook for another minute. This is a white roux with garlic. We do not want the flour to toast or begin browning at all.

While still whisking, slowly add all of the cream (or half and half depending on the results of your last EKG and routine physical...).

Add the salt and pepper and continue heating the mixture while whisking constantly until the sauce thickens and begins to bubble around the edge of the pan.

When thick, remove from heat and stir in the cheeses (in order), incorporating each one thoroughly before adding the next until all of it is smoothly incorporated into the sauce.

Serve over pasta, use as a bread dip, or as the base to the best Chicken and broccoli pizza you have ever tasted... :)

Enjoy!

Notes on the cheeses: I buy my cheese from Costco. These are the Pecorino Romano (green label), Grana Padano aged parmesan (green label), and Aged Shredded Parmesan (black label) cheeses that they sell in the deli section. I have also used good aged cheeses purchased in wedges from places like Trader Joe's or Wegman's with good results. The thing to remember is good ingredients yield good results. These are good results. The quality of the cheese is verycritically important. Do not expect this sauce to taste good if you are using Kraft cheese from a tube...

Edited to add the following:

This sauce is thick by design.

I make this most often as a base for chicken and broccoli pizza.

For pasta, you can thin it to suit your preference by adding up to another cup of cream or half and half. It is much easier to thin a thick sauce than it is to thicken a thin one. You may not even need to add any more cheese... ;)

Please use white pepper. For white sauces you will find that the flavor of a finely ground white pepper is much more compatible with cream-based sauces than black or red pepper is (and no black specks in your sauce making people wonder...). Buy good white pepper. You will be glad you did.

Yes, that really IS a 2:1 ratio of sauce base to cheese. This sauce is thick, velvety, and VERY rich. Truly a heart attack on a plate, but what a way to go!


Pax,

Newbius