Decades ago Deb and I got into making our own pasta, and encountered a cream-based version of Fettucine Alfredo that we enjoyed, and have served to almost everyone we know. It became a true standard for us, generating leftovers portioned out for workday lunches.
The original recipe is from the vegetarian epicure book two, by Anna Thomas (1978), but the scores of batches have taught me some lessons that may be worth a read.
First, I no longer measure the base ingredients, which are few. Here’s the list for sauce to embellish a pound of fettucine (or linguine) noodles:
- Heavy cream, at least a pint
- Finely grated fresh Parmesan-style cheese, more than half a pound
- 1 stick butter
- 1 (or 2) egg yolks
If imprecision is worrying, below I’ve given the original list of ingredients from the Vegetarian Epicure, vol 2. Note I do not add salt or pepper. The parmesan carries plenty of salt, and I don’t believe the pepper is needed.
- 11/2 cups heavy crea
- 1 1/2 cups fresh-grated Parmesan (5.5 oz)
- 1/3 c butter
- 2 egg yolks
- salt and white pepper
Preparation of the sauce involves a heavy sauce pan (I use Le Creuset). I add the heavy cream and enough grated parmesan to make a thickness, a nearly solid mass. Into that, I toss a stick of butter and the egg yolk(s). With heat set on medium, I stir until the mass becomes creamy, losing most of the grainy parmesan texture. Don’t use high heat. Moreover, I’ve learned not to let the mix come to a boil; the parmesan will begin to coagulate, it may scorch, and you’ll never regain control of the texture. It’s not a terrible thing, and in fact, a little browning brings a pleasant, slightly nutty taste to the sauce. But you’ll never get a purely creamy texture once the sauce has been heated so thoroughly.
If you have patience, turn off the burner, let it sit for a moment, then heat it gentlye, two or three more times while stirring. At this point the mix will be as dissolved and smooth as can be. To achieve a smoother consistency, I use a stick blender. It takes about a minute of blending to break down remaining parmesan graininess. You can then let the mix sit while preparing the pasta and remaining components of the meal. It doesn’t suffer from twenty or thirty minutes of resting time, just give it a stir (or even a slight reheat) before combining with the pasta.
For the meal, bring the salted pasta water to a boil, cook the fettucine to al dente and no more. After draining, I often will toss the noodles in a hot pan (to which I’ve added a bit of olive oil), in order to dry them a bit more. Then I combine and serve.
There are a couple of easy ways to make and serve this. Commonly, I will make the sauce in a small Le Creuset, then serve in the larger shallow Le Creuset I used for drying the drained noodles. If I’m making a larger batch, I’ll make the sauce in a larger Le Creuset, then simple toss in the drained noodles.
You may be annoyed in my specifying Le Creuset (or Staub), but you’ll find serving from such a heavy pan keeps the dish warm through the meal (another reason not to overcook the pasta). Pouring into a large and lovely platter is satisfying, but the noodles cool and the sauce congeals before anyone has even reached for a second serving.
Link to this Page: https://botanyincontext.com/creamy-fettucine-alfredo/