The Alfredo sauce is a full-bodied and delicious condiment, made famous by the Alfredo restaurant in Rome back in 1914. While the first versions of the recipe involved the use of only a few ingredients in addition to simple butter and Parmesan, today the Alfredo sauce is known for being a thick and complex sauce, made with cream. Alfredo sauce is perfect for seasoning pasta, chicken and many other culinary preparations. It is also very simple and quick to prepare, given the few necessary ingredients.
Ingrediants
Basic Alfredo Sauce
- 240 ml of full cooking cream
- 85 g of Butter
- 200 g of freshly grated Parmesan
- Salt and Pepper To Taste.
- Pasta cooking water (to dilute the sauce)
Variations to the Alfredo Sauce
- 1-2 cloves of garlic (crushed, squeezed or chopped)
- Zest of half a lemon
- Juice of half a lemon
- 80 ml of White Wine
- 250 g of natural low-fat yogurt
- Nutmeg to taste
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Basic Alfredo Sauce
Step 1. In a medium sized skillet, melt the butter
Use medium-low heat. The goal of this preparation should be to gently heat the sauce and achieve a smooth, creamy texture, not to cook the ingredients quickly. This goal requires a good dose of patience.
Step 2. Add the cream and Parmesan
As you stir in the ingredients, keep stirring the sauce gently so it doesn't burn. Do not stop mixing to be able to mix all the ingredients evenly.
If possible, use freshly grated real Parmesan. Its flavor differs considerably from that of already grated cheese in a bag. Fresh Parmesan also tends to incorporate better into the sauce, avoiding the formation of unpleasant lumps
Step 3. Heat the sauce until it comes to a gentle boil, continuing to stir it until it thickens
Wait for the sauce to boil slightly (you will see small bubbles form). At this point, mix it gently until it has become noticeably thicker. This process usually takes about 8 minutes.
Resist the temptation to turn up the heat to speed up the preparation. If the sauce boils too intensely, reduce the heat. Not only could the ingredients burn, producing an unpleasant bitter aftertaste, the cheese could also risk congealing and forming lumps. When cheese is heated too quickly, its protein molecules tend to clump together rather than separate. High heat breaks down the fat and moisture contained in the cheese, turning it into a compact product that does not melt
Step 4. Add salt and pepper to your taste
Once it has the right consistency, the sauce will be ready to be flavored. While you can add any ingredient to your taste, the good old-fashioned combination of salt and pepper is perfect for this. Once you have seasoned the sauce to taste, mix to evenly blend all the ingredients.
A few pinches of salt and pepper should be enough. If you are concerned about adding too much, start with a single pinch, then mix carefully and taste. Repeat this sequence of steps until you get the flavor you are looking for
Step 5. Optional
Use the pasta cooking water to slightly dilute the sauce. If you have saved some of the cooking water, as suggested in the ingredients list, you can use it to dilute any sauce that is too thick. The water will have the flavor of the pasta in itself and will enrich that of the sauce, as well as soften its consistency.
If, by mistake, you add too much water, simply bring the sauce back to the heat and simmer it for a few moments in order to thicken it again
Step 6. Serve on the table
When the sauce has reached the flavor you want, it's ready to serve. Pour a few tablespoons on your favorite pasta. The amount of sauce obtained with this recipe is enough for about 6 servings.
Alternatively, try using the sauce to flavor your favorite meat or vegetable dish, such as chicken, shrimp, crab, broccoli, asparagus, and more. The mild flavor of this sauce is very versatile, so you can use it to accompany just about any appetizer
Method 2 of 2: Variations to the Alfredo Sauce
This section offers some useful ideas for varying the Alfredo sauce described above. You can use any combination of the ingredients described in this section to enrich the flavor of your recipe, or decide to respect tradition by opting for a classic Alfredo sauce.
Step 1. Try adding a few cloves of garlic
The pungent and decisive flavor of garlic goes perfectly with the Alfredo sauce. As you melt the butter, stir in a clove or two of crushed, squeezed, or chopped garlic. Before adding the remaining ingredients of the basic recipe, fry the garlic in butter for about a minute to allow it to release all its scent and aroma within the sauce. When serving, do not remove the garlic cloves from the sauce.
Step 2. Try adding white wine
The acidity and aroma of most white wines give an additional and refined touch to the traditional Alfredo sauce. Slowly add about 80ml of high quality white wine just before seasoning the sauce with salt and pepper. After adding the wine, you may need to cook the sauce a little longer to thicken it again.
Most white wines are suitable for this recipe. The sparklingness and freshness of an excellent Chardonnay, for example, will enrich the taste and refinement of this dish. Do not use dessert wines, such as Muscat, as this would give the dish an excessive sweet note
Step 3. Try adding lemon zest
The acidic flavor of the lemon softens the greasiness of the Alfredo sauce by creating a combination of flavors capable of making your mouth water. Cut a lemon in half while you wait for the sauce to simmer. Use a fine grater, or a Microplane grater, to grate the lemon zest. When the sauce reaches the desired consistency, add the zest and juice of half a lemon, then mix carefully to evenly mix the ingredients.
If you want to prevent the lemon seeds from ending up in the sauce, use a special sieve to filter the juice
Step 4. Try adding a pinch of nutmeg
You may not consider it an ideal spice for flavoring Alfredo sauce, but, when used in small quantities, nutmeg can give a very pleasant touch to the dish. Try adding a very small pinch of nutmeg (no more than 1/4 teaspoon) at the same time you add the Parmesan. If you like the flavor obtained, you can add more, in small quantities, without forgetting that it is always possible to add an ingredient, but that it is impossible to remove it.
Step 5. Try using yogurt as a substitute for full cream
This way you will get a less caloric and healthier sauce. Although excellent, the Alfredo sauce is a preparation rich in calories and fat. Try replacing the cream with an equal amount of your favorite natural low-fat yogurt (Greek yogurt will do too). You will significantly reduce the amount of calories and fat contained in the traditional recipe. The dish will still remain rich, but without excess.
- The yogurt will give the recipe a slightly pungent flavor, similar to that of Stroganoff sauce. Some people prefer this variant.
- You may need to add a tablespoon of flour at the same time you add the yogurt. Yogurt tends to curdle when exposed to high temperatures, flour serves to prevent this from happening.
Step 6. Try using only butter and Parmesan for a more traditional version
The earliest known versions of Alfredo sauce used only two ingredients: cheese and butter. When these two ingredients are blended and combined they create a rich and tasty sauce, able to perfectly wrap the pasta. This alfredo sauce variation is very simple, but retains an intense and delicious flavor. So, if you want to try an old-fashioned Alfredo sauce, don't add cream, pasta cooking water, salt and pepper to your preparation. In this case, to still get enough sauce for 6 servings, you may need to double the initial amounts of butter and cheese.
For an even more authentic flavor, use fresh unsalted butter. The butter, before being refrigerated, is salted to lengthen its storage times. For best results, opt for high quality fresh unsalted butter
Advice
- Don't forget to mix constantly. Otherwise the ingredients will stick to the bottom and sides of the pot, causing a bitter aftertaste in the sauce.
- Other ingredients that pair well with Alfredo sauce include: basil, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach.
- If you can't do without your favorite tomato sauce, you can try red alfredo sauce (also known as "pink sauce") made by simply mixing an equal amount of alfredo sauce with your favorite tomato sauce. You can use canned peeled tomatoes or prepare your tomato puree from scratch, the choice is yours.
