The BEST Alfredo sauce recipe, ever!

[Bacardi]

My goal is to find a better recipe than I posted. I figured with a "cocky" title would greatly increase the odds of people viewing this, thus potentially reaching my goal. If you have a recipe you consider THE BEST, try my recipe, post your honest opinion and if you think yours is better, post it up and I'll probably give it a try and give you my honest opinion.

1c heavy cream or whipping cream (depends where you live)...
Half stick of butter (1/2c)
4oz of aseigo cheese, FRESHLY finely shredded...
1 med-large clove of garlic...Finely shredded via microplane or finest setting of grater...
1/2teaspoon of table salt
1teaspoon of pepper (white if you got it)
2 tablespoons of flour (cake flour if you got it)

Put the cream and butter in a pan and put on medium heat...Use a probe thermometer and once the mixture reaches 185f, add all other ingredients except the flour - add cheese, garlic, salt and pepper...Whisk until cheese is melted...Once cheese is fully melted, add flour, stilling whisking for a few seconds and you're done! :D

[AllenOK]

I know I've posted this before, but I can't remember if it was it's own thread, or a reply. For the purists out there, this is not a "straight" alfredo sauce, as the dish I make at work has chicken in it, with shallots and mushrooms in the sauce for extra flavor. I have a standing $5 bet with the waitstaff and members of the club I work for to find someone in Tulsa that can match or beat my sauce. I have yet to pay out.

1 - 2 T clarified butter
1 chicken breast, 1/2" dice
2 t garlic, minced
1 shallot, julienned
1/4 c sliced button mushrooms
1/4 c sliced shiitake mushrooms
splash of white wine
1 1/2 c heavy cream
1/4 c (or more) shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
6 oz cooked fettucine

Preheat a saute pan over high heat. Add the butter, and swirl the pan to coat. Add the chicken. Saute for a few minutes, until the chicken begins to caramelize. Add the shallots, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute a few minutes until the veggies begin to wilt. Deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine (not more than 2 T). Shake the pan to make sure everything is loose, and the fond begins to dissolve. Add the cream and pasta. Bring to a boil and reduce. I try to reduce the sauce almost until it begins to break. Add the cheese, and toss the pasta to thoroughly mix the cheese into the sauce. Taste for seasoning and season as needed. Plate the dish and garnish with a little more cheese and a sprinkling of fresh chives.

No flour needed. The sauce is thickened just from the reduction of the cream and the addition of the cheese.

[suziquzie]

Allen...
does using the clarified butter prevent the separating and greasy mess that starts as the sauced pasta cools?

[Bacardi]

Originally Posted by AllenOK

I have a standing $5 bet with the waitstaff and members of the club I work for to find someone in Tulsa that can match or beat my sauce. I have yet to pay out.

That's what I wanted to see! Unfortunately, I'm not fungi fan so I won't try it. But I'm sure if i did I'd like the sauce!

[quicksilver]

Mine is 3 simple ingredients for 1 pound of fettucini.

3/4 cup cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated parmasan cheese.

You can add whatever to it, especially fresh ground black pepper,
but that's the basic recipe.
Heat but not boil, til well blended and serve over/in pasta
Red pepper flakes are good in it also.

[Ardge]

Originally Posted by quicksilver

Mine is 3 simple ingredients for 1 pound of fettucini.

3/4 cup cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated parmasan cheese.

You can add whatever to it, especially fresh ground black pepper,
but that's the basic recipe.
Heat but not boil, til well blended and serve over/in pasta
Red pepper flakes are good in it also.

Boom. Thats my recipe too.
Unsalted butter, heavy cream and grated romano cheese with a little S&P at the end. I never used any measurements except for the quart of heavy cream. The rest I just eyeballed and taste correct.

For an awesome way to finish the plate, I fresh grate some Caciocavello cheese on top. It's like a firm, saltier Parmesan. I get a big chunk every time I go to my local Italian grocery store. When I run out of that cheese, it's my cue to go to the store to stock my pantry with Italian goodies.

RJ

[Bacardi]

Kind of a general question, you guys are NOT using parmesan reggiano (PR) correct?

Also interested in seeing if the clarified butter prevents separating.

[Andy M.]

Originally Posted by Bacardi

Kind of a general question, you guys are NOT using parmesan reggiano (PR) correct?

Also interested in seeing if the clarified butter prevents separating.

Parmeggiano reggiano would be appropriate and the first choice for this dish. You could use grated parmesan in its place.

I've never used clarified butter and have not experienced any separating. After simmering the butter and heavy cream to thicken it, turn off the heat then stir in the cheese. You won't have any separation issues.

[AllenOK]

No, we're not using Parmeggiano Reggiano, just shredded parm that our vendors sell us.

The use of clarified butter does nothing for the sauce breaking (or not breaking). You'll know the cream is getting ready to break with you start seeing little beads of yellow butterfat separating from the cream around the edge of the pan. I learned that this is the time to remove the pan from the heat, add a good amount of cheese, and flip and roll the pasta to incorporate and melt the cheese into the sauce.

If your sauce breaks, there is an easy save. Just add some more cream, bring it back to a boil, roll and stir it, then plate the dish.

Bacardi, if you want to try it without the mushrooms, go for it! The only recipes that are "written in stone" are bread forumulations, and even those can be tweaked a little bit, in the way of flavorings and seasonings. The main flavors of my Alfredo that you should be able to pick out are the shallots, garlic, and white wine. I'm a mushroom addict, and our menu states that the dish has mushrooms in it, so I'm happy to make it as is.

A little word of warning:

I know that I gave approximate measurements in my recipe, and a couple people have posted that they don't measure, just taste and adjust. This makes for consistency issues, especially when someone else makes the dish. I have even another issue. I am cooking this on a commercial gas stovetop, which puts out about twice the BTU's as a home stove. Some sauteed items will not have the same taste, as the intense heat that produces that caramelization is not available.

[texasjean]

Hi there -
I've used a recipe for a chipotle alfredo recipe that used eggs too (almost like you would for hollandaise sauce). It made the sauce lighter feeling than a lot of alfredo sauces I've tried (with the 3 basic ingredients).
Be careful using the egg not to whisk in completely cold or it'll scramble. I loved this recipe without the chipotle too, but i might try clarifying the butter first. I'm not sure if that'll help with the separation issue as the sauce cools. or maybe that'll mess up the creamy effect of the eggs...not sure...

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