Part of my job duties at work are to have the sauces prepared for the make your own pasta bar. These include marinara, alfredo, and pesto. Today I will be talking about the alfredo sauce specifically.
Alfredo sauce is typically referred to a cream sauce that includes Parmesan cheese and butter. However, the reality is classically there is no such thing as an alfredo sauce. Usually the prepared dish was fettuccine alfredo which did not include a sauce. Instead the noodles were tossed with butter and cheese. As the cheese melted, it emulsified the liquids into a thick consistency. Sometimes cream would be added in addition to, or instead of the cheese.
Today alfredo sauce is a completely separate entity and often sold in jars or otherwise prepared. This is a shame given how easily alfredo sauce can be prepared at home. At work I will prepare a big batch of several (6-8) gallons to have ready for the week. I will then heat a smaller amount for the day's use. I start with equal parts milk and heavy cream. To save time you can also use half and half which is equal parts milk and cream. I will then heat the mixture slowly over low heat. I will prefer to use our large steam kettles. This help me avoid scorching the bottom of my sauce.
Once the dairy is at a simmer, at about 190 to 200 degrees, I start adding my spices and cheese. For spices I used salt, white pepper (very important it be white), and nutmeg (just a smidge). I will use good quality grated Parmesan cheese. For the 6-8 gallons, I usually used about 2 1/2 pounds. You can use shredded cheese, but just know it will take longer to incorporate. When adding your salt keep in mind that you want to add it sparingly at first since the cheese will also add saltiness to your sauce. You can adjust the seasonings later. Now, when you add the cheese, don't just dump it in all at once. Add it a little at a time and stir the sauce until it is incorporated in. Repeat this process until all of your cheese has been added.
After all of your cheese and spices have been added it is time to thicken the sauce. Now, traditionally it is only thickened with cheese and some reduction of the dairy and you can certainly choose to do that. At work I will usually used a cornstarch slurry to help it along. While the sauce is still hot, I will stir in the slurry until the sauce has reached the desired consistency. Now it is very important you add your slurry while the sauce is still hot. Otherwise the sauce will not thicken. Now if you ever find that you over estimated how much cornstarch you needed and over thicken your sauce, you can just thin it out with more dairy or even a bit of water. You can thicken your sauce using various other methods (roux, beurre manié), but the slurry is honestly the easiest.
When the sauce is at the desired consistency, you need to taste it. This is where you can adjust the seasoning. You can add salt and pepper if needed. The reason you want white pepper is so that your sauce remains white. Black pepper will show up as black flecks in your sauce giving it the appearance of cream gravy. As far as the nutmeg goes, you want to add enough to barley be perceptible. Nutmeg's flavor goes very well with dairy and you only need a small amount as to not overwhelm the flavor of the sauce.
If you want to make this sauce at home, here are some amounts to help you along the way:
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
OR
2 cups half and half
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch nutmeg
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 water
Serve over your favorite pasta with your favorite ingredients!
A blog about cooking, eating, and all things food.
Showing posts with label sauces. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sauces. Show all posts
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Pan Sauces
Many people don't know what they are missing when they cook something in the pan then discard what's left. Those are the most scrumptious bits stuck on the bottom loaded with flavor and are perfect for making pan sauces. In a few simple steps I will give you the keys to making your own pan sauces.
The fist step is to cook whatever it is your are cooking in a large enough saute pan to hold your liquid for your sauce. Use enough fat (oil, butter or a combo of both) to cook your protein, but not so much that you have a puddle of fat left in your pan. If this is the case, then just drain some of it off. After your protein is cooked, remove it from the pan and hold. You now have the foundation for your sauce.
The next step is kind of tricky because it involves the fat left over from the initial step. There should be some fat left from when you first started cooking. The tricky part, especially if it is your first time making a sauce, is to gauge how much fat you need. You are going to use this fat to saute the additives to sauce. The additives add highlights of flavor. They can range from capers or pepper corns, to garlic and shallots, to aromatic herbs and vegetables. When, sauteing these, you should cook them just until you can smell them.
When you can finally smell your additives, then you add liquid such as chicken stock or wine. You don't need a whole lot of liquid. Usually about half to a full cup will do, depending on how much sauce you want to do. When you add your liquid to the hot pan, it will dislodge all the tasty bits that were left on the bottom. You can help the process by stirring the liquid and scrapping the bottom of the pan with a whisk (it will come in handy later as well). This step is called deglazing the pan. Now you just let the liquid reduce by half to 3/4 of its original volume. Some would say let the pan be almost dry, but I think it makes a fuller sauce to have some liquid.
The last step is the hardest because it requires patience. What you are going to do is add butter. This is called mounting a sauce. The butter gives the sauce flavor as well as shine and thickens it up. You will need about half a stick to a stick of butter. The key to adding the sauce is to break it up into small pieces and adding it slowly. Cut the butter into about eight to twelve small pieces. Then whisk the butter in one piece at a time, making sure that the butter is completely incorporated into the sauce before adding the next piece. Another key to the butter is to make sure it is as cold as possible. If you can cut the butter and keep it in the refrigerator until you need it. If it starts to get hot, stick it in the freezer.
After all the butter is incorporated, adjust the seasonings on the sauce. The sauce should be nice and thick and coat the back of a spoon easily. If it is still a little thin, then add a little more butter. If you add too much butter, the sauce will break and be grainy. You can try to fix it by adding a bit more liquid. With a little bit of practice, you can be making pan sauces in no time.
The fist step is to cook whatever it is your are cooking in a large enough saute pan to hold your liquid for your sauce. Use enough fat (oil, butter or a combo of both) to cook your protein, but not so much that you have a puddle of fat left in your pan. If this is the case, then just drain some of it off. After your protein is cooked, remove it from the pan and hold. You now have the foundation for your sauce.
The next step is kind of tricky because it involves the fat left over from the initial step. There should be some fat left from when you first started cooking. The tricky part, especially if it is your first time making a sauce, is to gauge how much fat you need. You are going to use this fat to saute the additives to sauce. The additives add highlights of flavor. They can range from capers or pepper corns, to garlic and shallots, to aromatic herbs and vegetables. When, sauteing these, you should cook them just until you can smell them.
When you can finally smell your additives, then you add liquid such as chicken stock or wine. You don't need a whole lot of liquid. Usually about half to a full cup will do, depending on how much sauce you want to do. When you add your liquid to the hot pan, it will dislodge all the tasty bits that were left on the bottom. You can help the process by stirring the liquid and scrapping the bottom of the pan with a whisk (it will come in handy later as well). This step is called deglazing the pan. Now you just let the liquid reduce by half to 3/4 of its original volume. Some would say let the pan be almost dry, but I think it makes a fuller sauce to have some liquid.
The last step is the hardest because it requires patience. What you are going to do is add butter. This is called mounting a sauce. The butter gives the sauce flavor as well as shine and thickens it up. You will need about half a stick to a stick of butter. The key to adding the sauce is to break it up into small pieces and adding it slowly. Cut the butter into about eight to twelve small pieces. Then whisk the butter in one piece at a time, making sure that the butter is completely incorporated into the sauce before adding the next piece. Another key to the butter is to make sure it is as cold as possible. If you can cut the butter and keep it in the refrigerator until you need it. If it starts to get hot, stick it in the freezer.
After all the butter is incorporated, adjust the seasonings on the sauce. The sauce should be nice and thick and coat the back of a spoon easily. If it is still a little thin, then add a little more butter. If you add too much butter, the sauce will break and be grainy. You can try to fix it by adding a bit more liquid. With a little bit of practice, you can be making pan sauces in no time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)