Tuesday, January 27, 2009

.fettuccine alfredo.


Fettuccine alfredo is one of those great foods that bring me a lot of comfort. How many of you actually make your own alfredo sauce? Do you pick up a jar or one of those DiGiorno kind in the refrigerator section of your grocery store?

I admit I used to do that... but those things cost a lot more than it takes to make your own and it's a lot better tasting because it doesn't need any preservatives to keep it fresher longer.


Let's begin with our roux (pronounced roo). In a saucepan put 1/4 cup butter, 1 clove minced garlic, and a drizzle of olive oil. Allow the garlic to saute for about 30 seconds.









While whisking, add 1/3 cup flour. You need to whisk so the flour doesn't clump up on you. Turn your burner down to low heat and let your roux continue to cook for awhile. The longer you let this go, the darker it will turn, and the more flavorful it will be. I had mine on th eheat for about 30 minutes. Don't forget about it. You'll need to keep stirring!





While whisking again, add 1 cup cream. If you're not counting calories or fat grams, add another 2 cups of cream. If you're like me and trying to keep things on the healthier side, after you add the 1 cup milk, add 2 cups milk.

Kick up the heat (medium high) and keep stirring while this thickens up. You want a gravy consistency so not too thick, okay?




Season well with salt and pepper. Taste the sauce at this point to adjust seasoning.











Take a BIG handful of parmesan cheese. I use a good quality parm for this because we're not trying to skimp on flavor and parmesan isn't a high fat cheese.
















My little soux chef shows how thick this sauce is when it's done. It should coat the back of the spoon.. .or in our case, it is sticking nicely to the wires of my whisk.

At this stage, you can package up your sauce and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. We were having this with our pork chops the other night so I had a pot of fettuccine cooking while we made the sauce. After the pasta is cooked, drain well, and then mix with the sauce.

Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on top of your fettuccine after it's been plated. Delicious! Enjoy!



Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_124g3dswxhj

7 comments:

Crystal said...

Mmmm. Fettucini Alfredo with grilled chicken and broccoli is my most favorite meal. Store bought jars could never compare. I think I bought a pre-made jar once and decided never to make that mistake again.

Now you've got me craving this for dinner tonight.

Catherine said...

Alfredo sauce in a jar - blech! Making your own is so easy and SO worth it! I can never go back, the jar stuff is nothing like the real thing!

Hilary said...

My mom often uses a can of evaporated milk instead of cream. I don't think I'd elminite the cream entirely... I guess I'd do 1 c cream, 1 can evap milk and the rest regular milk... ever use evap milk?

squillen said...

Hilary, I've never used evaporated milk when I make my alfredo. Does it change the flavor at all?

KatieButler said...

Made this for dinner tonight and added a few garlic grilled shrimp on top. Yum! DH has eaten fettuccine out many times and wanted to know where I got the recipe because it tasted so good. Thanks!

Shannon said...

I will NEVER eat alfredo from a jar again!!! This was sooo good, and I was amazed at how easy it was! Thanks for the great recipe!!

Rebekah Daphne said...

Delicious-- I used a heaping cup of Parmesan, and used a bit of the pasta water to loosen the sauce.