Fettuccini Alfredo (and Variations)

There a millions of Alfredo sauce recipes online. While a lot of them are good, most fail to convey the basics of this delicious sauce; the key ingredients and ratios that must be there. I will hope to do just that here.

A good Alfredo begins with the following key ingredients:

Heavy cream

Unsalted butter

Egg yolk

Romano cheese (grated)
Salt and pepper to taste

The basic proportions (which feed two) are thus:

1/4 c. unsalted butter

1 c. heavy cream

1 egg yolk

1 clove pressed garlic (optional)

1/4 c. grated Romano cheese

Salt, pepper and other seasoning to taste

The important ratio is butter to cream: it should always be 1/4 to 1. You will see many variations, which I shall not dispute, but this is how I was taught, and my results are consistent and, more importantly, delicious. The egg yolk helps to thicken the sauce and it adds a beautiful sheen to the finished product. 

So for four people, my recipe is:

1/2 c. butter (one stick)

2 c. cream

1 egg yolk (yes, still one)

2 sm. cloves garlic

1/2 c. grated romano cheese

Various other flavors as desired (see Variations below)

Salt, pepper and a pinch of really good Italian herb blend

The sauce is fairly easy to prepare, but you can't let your mind wander; it needs pretty much constant attention. It doesn't take long to prepare (less than ten minutes).

Prepare your ingredients ahead of time. Measure everything out in small bowls to make it easy to add as the sauce is being prepared. Don't forget to separate the egg yolk into a 1 c. (or so) container.

Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium-high heat; don't let the butter brown. As soon as it starts to sizzle a bit, add in the garlic and let it bloom, but, again, don't let it brown. After about 20-30 seconds, pour in the cream and begin stirring. No need to whisk, just keep the sauce moving. Add the salt, pepper and herbs to the sauce.

When it begins to thicken, add a couple of spoonfuls (one at a time) to the yolk to temper. Don't add the hot liquid too quickly or else you'll curdle the yolk. Slowly add the yolk mixture back into the main pan and continue cooking until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (it should be boiling vigorously; don't worry, as long as you keep it moving, it won't stick or burn). When thickened, turn off the flame and then add in the cheese. Keep stirring until the cheese is mostly melted. Serve over a pasta of your choice (it's particularly yummy over gnocchi; see recipe in this blog). Finish with some chopped herbs: either Italian parsley or chives (fresh only).

Variations:

Bacon and Blue Alfredo Sauce. Add about a 1/4 c. of chopped bacon to the pan at the same time as the garlic. Add 1/4 c. of a good blue cheese (we're particularly fond of Stilton--the king of the blues) in at the same time as the other cheese.

Gorgonzola Alfredo Sauce. Add 1/4 c. of gorgonzola cheese in with the romano. Yummy!

Seafood Alfredo Sauce. Lightly saute (partially cook) shrimps, fresh, shelled clams and scallops in butter and white wine. Drain and then add to the Alfredo sauce to finish cooking.

Use your imagination. There are lots of yummy ways to prepare this. Enjoy!

~David