Alfredo from heaven- help me recreate it!
 

Holy cow, I just got done with dinner at this little dinky Italian resturant in Angier NC called Two Cousins Pizza and Martel had meat Tortellini Alfredo, and oh my Goddess was it the BEST THING I have ever eaten in my 22 years of existence. EVER. The cook was this little Italian lady with a really STRONG accent, three years over the pond from Italy... Anyway, the alfredo was just... divine... absloutely divine. If you're ever anywhere near Angier you need to go to this place- it's so unassuming it's ridiculous, but it's soo goood!


Ok, so I did a search, and the only alfredo sauce recipie was butter, cream, and parmesean... simple I know, but surely there must be some secret to making it divine! So, please post your alfredo recipies, and your tips and tricks to make it superb! I would have kidnapped this lady and taken her home with me to cook, but I don't think her husband would have liked that!

ahhh heart attack on a plate.... I dream of alfredo... It's super easy, and oh goodness is it good...

1 cup butter, unsalted
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated (best quality you can afford)
salt and white pepper, to taste (you want white pepper because you don't want black specs in a white sauce)
Pasta cooked according to package directions

Melt butter over low heat. Blend in cream and cheese. Cook over low heat, about 5 minutes or so, you will see the creaminess once the parm melts. Sauce should not boil. Remove from heat, season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with pasta. Serve immediately.

DO NOT let this sauce sit, pasta should be cooked BEFORE you make the sauce and waiting for you - -that's the biggest secret in making the sauce so creamy. That and never letting the butter 'foam up' or the sauce come to a boil, you really dont even want a simmer... Low heat is the way to go.

You also really want to use good quality parmesean cheese - fresh ground is preferred, never ever use that cardboard crap in the green can that doesnt need refridgeration :)

Pasta - Fresh is always best, I like the fresh from the refridgerator case in the grocery store. I love it with tortellini -- especially if you can find the proscuitto tortellini.. or just plain old fettuccini is always tasty. Good pasta cooked in heavily salted water is also critical to this recipe.

Variations: Alfredo is very rich, so I'll add things to cut down on the richness. You can add in some chunks of grilled/broiled chicken breast and some broccolli for a chicken/brocolli alfredo sauce, or my personal favorite, some proscuitto and some fresh baby peas...

Aside from the basic ingredients you just listed, the most important part of alfredo sauce is the garlic. I recommend one to two cloves of garlic per pot.

Garlic and seasoning :) That's all there is to making simple alfredo truly great.

The biggest problem I find with alfredos is that the cheese isn't salty enough and they didn't salt the sauce, so it tastes bland. Tasting your sauce and seasoning to taste (with salt, pepper, garlic, and I usually toss in a little granulated onion) is crucial!

Enjoy :)

Beware of onion. It is easy to overdo.

in the most ideal situation, you'd want to have these on hand:
- normandy butter
- manufacturing cream
- imported parmigiano reggiano (the high-end stuff)

but chances are that normandy butter and high-end aged cheese are neither practical nor easily available for home use, but it's fine to use what you'd find in the grocery store.

make sure you slice your garlic paper thin and use a little bit of minced shallot so the aromatics practically melt into the sauce - saute them very lightly, so they don't take on any color. add your cream and carefully reduce it, then toss in your tortellini - which you should make fresh, with ricotta and mascarpone, but you can always use the packaged stuff. mix in your shaved cheese with another gob of butter, and plate. be sure to size your sauce portion so that it just accentuates the pasta, which is the star of the meal.

I use something similar to Maleficent's recipe above, except I add: a few ounces of cream cheese, a couple of cloves of garlic, a dash of nutmeg, and an egg yolk. Whisk the egg yolk in very quickly, of course - you don't want 'bits' of egg yolk in your sauce.

The above additions make for a very, very 'thick' alfredo sauce. All the better to stick to the pasta of the day.

Also, do not rinse your pasta, the starch on the outside of the pasta gives the sauce something to stick to.

Alfredo, like pizza, is actually an Italian-American dish. Consider also adding a half cup of minced parsely. As has been said, using a low heat is key, you don't want it to boil or curdle. Last time I made it, it was so insanely rich that my stomach couldn't handle it. I ended up puking an hour later. I thinned the leftovers out with some milk and that solved the problem. Next time I'll probably use half and half instead of straight cream.

i'm with locobot on the parsley addition, but for heavens sake... the blashphemy!! thin it out with milk?? how do you ever expect to have a heart attack like that? j/k. to each his own.

everyonce in a while, i'll add a little mushroom broth as well. just a wee bit more depth to the flavor. i get the broth from soaking dried porcinis in hot water for a couple hours. then you can use the mushrooms with your pasta. i had this very dish 3 nights ago. also added sauteed peas, red peppers, and pan seared macadmia nut crusted sea scallops. needless to say, it was freakin' delicious. my one critique was the cheese i used. i didn't do mal said... i went with a cheaper option of parm. cheese. it was still the whole block - i grated it right into the sauce, but it lacked a little sumpin there. so i vote for SPLURGE next time. (honestly, the scallops broke me on this one) and if snowy was eating with me, i'd have added more salt. my mom (who was among the diners) doesn't like too much salt so i erred on the light side.

For those watching their weight and still love alfredo here is a "lighter" version:

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup light cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a saucepan melt butter, add milk and then whisk in cornstarch over medium heat until lightly thickened. Add light cream, Parmesan cheese, and spices to taste, my personal favorite is about a 1 Tsp. of cayenne pepper, cajun shrimp alfredo yum.

If the sauce is a little runny additional Parm can be added to thicken it.

I swear, the next person who posts an Italian style recipe without the word "garlic" is getting a good smack!

i guess im the one getting the smack, cause im a huge fan of oven roasting the cloves first.

Roasted garlic is absolutely heavenly-- gives it such a rich, nuttly flavor... the only problem with putting it in alfredo sauce it changes the color of the sauce...

When i put garlic in alfredo sauce, i'll do it the same way i would do it in a cheese fondue... take the garlic clove and rub it all round the pot - so you've got the incredble garlic flavor, but not garlic bits, and no discoloring chunks.

i never seem to mind any mis-colouring over meals at home, or at a friends, etc. i only get picky when i'm at restaurants.

I agree, but my recipe was simply a sause base, no seasonings, add garlic to your hearts content, I usually sweat it in the butter before adding the starch and milk.

....Making me soooooo hungry. I live for alfredo sauce.

It's funny cause Alfredo in Portugal has ham in it...sounds yummy, will try this!