Page 12 - Italian-American Herald - February 2025

12 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | FEBRUARY 2025 ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERALD
THE CHEF’S PERSPECTIVE
Which style Alfredo do you invite to your pasta bar? Be brave and have both
By Murray
Schulman
Recently, our family
gathered at my home
to celebrate my wife
Liz’s birthday. A family
favorite for special
occasions like this is
my pasta bar. Everyone enjoys mixing and
matching sauces with pasta types.
For the pasta selections, I opted for
fettuccine as my long pasta, and rigatoni as
my short pasta. As for the sauce selections, I
had made a big pot of basic red sauce a few
days prior to the party. When discussing their
preferences, one family said that they loved a
hearty meat sauce, and the other family said
that they wanted my meatballs (as described
in a previous article). So, my sauce offerings
were marinara, bolognese, meatballs in red
sauce, and finally Alfredo sauce. Everyone
was happy.
This brings me to my topic. There is
an old and ongoing argument regarding
the proper method for preparing Alfredo
sauce. One group argues that true Alfredo is
prepared using cream and allowing the sauce
to thicken from the cheese with added pasta
water. The other group firmly holds to the
idea that a roux is needed to give the sauce
body and richness.
In my experience, both sides are correct.
The best method depends on the application
and use of the sauce. If I am preparing
fettuccine Alfredo, or any variation of the
dish, I never use a roux for the sauce. In this
case, I use heavy cream (half and half may be
substituted for a slightly lighter sauce), butter,
garlic, and Parmigiano Reggiano. I add white
pepper during the preparation process. But
I wait until the end to add any salt because
the pasta water is already salty. It is best to
wait and adjust to taste at the end. While the
fettuccine is cooking, I prepare the sauce in a
pan at the same time. By the time the pasta is
ready, the sauce has come together. I transfer
the pasta into the sauce directly from the
pasta water. This allows just enough pasta
water to go into the sauce to give the finished
dish that velvety richness and shine that is
the mark of a great Alfredo sauce. There is no
need for a roux in this application.
On the other hand, when preparing
Some chefs let Alfredo sauce thicken naturally with cream and cheese. Others use a roux to thicken.
Alfredo sauce for my pasta bar, the with-roux
preparation is essential. The sauce must be
held in a heated container for a longer period
without losing its integrity and quality. This
process requires a bit more finesse.
To make this form of Alfredo sauce, I use
a heavy rondeau style pan. Start by heating
the pan over medium heat. To prevent the
butter from browning, I start with some olive
oil and then add the butter. To the butter, I
add my garlic and cook for about a minute
or two. To build my roux, flour is added in
equal proportion to the quantity of butter
and oil used. The flour is mixed well to fully
absorb the oil, butter, and garlic mixture. The
key is to add the flour gradually until the
oils are just fully absorbed without being too
dry. This step is important because it is the
base for the entire sauce. In this recipe, I use
half and half to form the sauce. I add the half
and half while whisking continually. Keep
the heat on medium to avoid any browning.
As the mixture begins to thicken, add the
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
Continue whisking the mixture. Patience
comes into play here as the cheese must be
fully melted and incorporated into the sauce.
Taste the sauce and add white pepper and a
touch of salt as needed. Continue stirring to
completely cook out the flour. Again, adjust
temperature and keep whisking to avoid any
sticking or browning. Because I want my
sauce to be as rich as possible, I add heavy
cream that I have heated separately and
slightly reduced. Of course, I am cooking
pasta for the pasta bar. So, I may add some
pasta water to the sauce. This will thin out
the sauce and bring out the velvety richness
even more. Although this is a more involved
process, the result is still an outstanding
finished sauce that will stand up to the rigors
of holding time and texture independent of
the pasta.
My conclusion therefore remains that both
schools of thought regarding Alfredo sauce
preparation are correct.
As I always advise, do not be afraid to
try making Alfredo sauce. Patience and
perseverance are the key. Once you see the
results, both you and your guests will be
treated to something incredibly special. Try a
pasta bar at your next get-together. It is a fun
and enjoyable experience for everyone. IAH
The roux
method
requires the
sauce to be
held over heat
for a longer
time without
splitting.