Building a better Alfredo sauce; ideas?

[Cuckoorex]

I want to start off with a fairly standard Alfredo sauce and find ways to give it a little something extra, something that might give the diner a pleasantly different Alfredo sauce experience. Anyone out there come up with some good variations of the sauce I might be able to try out?

[Czarcasm]

Originally Posted by Cuckoorex

I want to start off with a fairly standard Alfredo sauce and find ways to give it a little something extra, something that might give the diner a pleasantly different Alfredo sauce experience. Anyone out there come up with some good variations of the sauce I might be able to try out?

Could you first describe what you mean by "standard Alfredo sauce"?

[pulykamell]

Alfredo is perfect as it is: use the best butter you can find (I like unsalted Lurpak or a cultured butter) and real Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cream is often included, and I like it fine with or without cream, but some purists will decry the use of cream. Here's the Saveur recipe for the butter & cheese version.

[Athena]

Originally Posted by pulykamell

Alfredo is perfect as it is: use the best butter you can find (I like unsalted Lurpak or a cultured butter) and real Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cream is often included, and I like it fine with or without cream, but some purists will decry the use of cream. Here's the Saveur recipe for the butter & cheese version.

This. As long as we're talking real Alfredo and not some horrendous white sauce that includes cream cheese, flour, milk, or other such monstrosities (I won't even mention bottled Alfredo sauce *shudder*), it's perfect as is. The only improvement to be made would be to use better butter, cheese or cream. (Like pulykamell, I can go with or without cream)

[Sigmagirl]

I like fresh parsley. Is that heresy?

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

Put in as much grated real, fresh Parmigiano Regianno as you can without ruining the texture of the sauce.

Or, spruce it up with lots of cracked black pepper and bacon bits and make it a carbonara-ish dish.

[Snickers]

I add a touch of cayenne pepper and nutmeg to mine. Not much, just enough to give it a little extra. (Mine uses cream, butter, garlic, and grated parmesan.)

It's tasty.

[PunditLisa]

I use butter, half-and-half, parmesan, and a pitch of nutmeg. Don't add salt because there's plenty in the butter.

[Saint Cad]

A little roasted garlic for me.

[TriPolar]

Originally Posted by Athena

... it's perfect as is. The only improvement to be made would be to use better butter, cheese or cream...

That's it right there. I think parsley or a little pepper is OK, but the problem is finding quality butter, cheese, cream to enjoy the flavors. Might as well be cornstarch in water otherwise.

ETA: Saint Cad: A little garlic never hurt anything.

[devilsknew]

I guess all the usual and most obvious things for such a simple three ingredient sauce.... you could add a little bit of a different cheese in addition to the paremesan/romano- asiago, taleggio, soft goat cheese would all give a bit of body and "tang". I had a fett prima once that had chopped sundried tomatoes in it, I thought that was pretty good... I guess cribbing from Carraba's Chicken Bryan... you could make a Fettucini Bryan- alfredo made per usual with the addition of some soft goat cheese (chevre) and finely chopped. oil cured, sundried tomatoes, as well as some chopped asparagus. Top with a bit of sliced, grilled, chicken breast

[devilsknew]

Maybe some chopped basil for that Fett Bryan- That's a major component to Chicken Bryan that I forgot about.

...But yea, maybe some interesting or favorite fresh chopped herbs added to your alfredo could set it apart.

[Cuckoorex]

Thanks for the suggestions; I've done the garlic-added version and also tried it with a bit of red pepper and they were both predictably good. I'm hearing what you're all saying about the quality of the ingredients as well; I may need to splurge a bit and get the best stuff available for the next time. I was also thinking of experimenting with some lemon pepper as well.

[DiosaBellissima]

There is a local restaurant here that offers standard alfredo, then basil alfredo. It's just regular alfredo, but simmered with a shit ton of fresh basil in it. AMAZING. It's especially good with chicken!

[Czarcasm]

Originally Posted by PunditLisa

I use butter, half-and-half, parmesan, and a pitch of nutmeg. Don't add salt because there's plenty in the butter.

Nutmeg? In the Alfredo sauce?
I will gladly welcome you into my household...but you may not go anywhere near my kitchen.

[Eonwe]

Truffle.

[Czarcasm]

Originally Posted by Eonwe

Truffle.

Black or Burgundy?

[Athena]

Originally Posted by Czarcasm

Nutmeg? In the Alfredo sauce?
I will gladly welcome you into my household...but you may not go anywhere near my kitchen.

Nutmeg is pretty much standard in Alfredo sauce, at least in all the authentic Italian cookbooks in my cupboard. It's good - you should try it!

[Eonwe]

Originally Posted by Czarcasm

Black or Burgundy?

Is this like cake or death?

I guess I don't know; I've never cooked with truffle or truffle oil, I just know that whatever it is that restaurants have been serving me on occasion as 'truffled [whatever]' has been delicious, and a great flavor to augment an alfredo sauce, I think.

[Czarcasm]

Originally Posted by Athena

Nutmeg is pretty much standard in Alfredo sauce, at least in all the authentic Italian cookbooks in my cupboard. It's good - you should try it!

Did..and hated it.

[sitchensis]

Peeled deveined shrimp, scallops, and a little bit of shrimp stock

[CBEscapee]

Take some of the adobo, the thick sauce in the can of chipotle chiles and add it to the sauce.

[Miss Woodhouse]

ATK has a recipe with 1 1/2 cups of cream. The one cup amount is simmered for about 15 minutes until it's reduced by half. Then you pour back in the 1/2 cup reserved cream to restore the fresh flavor. It makes it just a bit thicker so it clings well to the pasta.

high quality butter and cheese are near impossible to find in the middle of nowhere (and way out of my price range when they do turn up), so I appreciate little cheats like this.

[Alice The Goon]

Originally Posted by CBEscapee

Take some of the adobo, the thick sauce in the can of chipotle chiles and add it to the sauce.

I was going to say this.

Add some pieces of chicken breast and asparagus. The Cheesecake Factory has a similar dish and I crave it sometimes. It's so good, but then I love chipotle flavor.

[pulykamell]

Originally Posted by Czarcasm

Nutmeg? In the Alfredo sauce?
I will gladly welcome you into my household...but you may not go anywhere near my kitchen.

A small dash of nutmeg is almost de rigeur in dairy-based sauces. I personally don't usually do it for alfredo, but most cream sauces I find do well with the addition of just a little bit of nutmeg (for example, my bechamel always has nutmeg). It shouldn't taste like Christmas, but just enough to give you a little bit of subtle spice.

As much as I love garlic, alfredo shouldn't have garlic. American versions of Italian recipes tend to go overboard on the garlic. It's a matter of taste, so if you like it, that's fine.

Originally Posted by Cuckoorex

I'm hearing what you're all saying about the quality of the ingredients as well.

This cannot be stressed enough. There are many very very simple recipes that are simply sublime, but they live and die based on the quality of ingredients. Alfredo is one of them. To tell you the truth, the most memorable meals I've had have been incredibly simple preparations, it's just the quality of ingredients and their preparation that really made them shine. The very best pizza I've ever had (the marghareta at Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix) is just topped with crushed tomatoes, housemade mozzarella, and fresh basil on the most perfect, flavorful, heavenly, lightly charred, ever-so-slightly soured wood-fired crust.

[Athena]

Originally Posted by pulykamell

This cannot be stressed enough. There are many very very simple recipes that are simply sublime, but they live and die based on the quality of ingredients. Alfredo is one of them. To tell you the truth, the most memorable meals I've had have been incredibly simple preparations, it's just the quality of ingredients and their preparation that really made them shine. The very best pizza I've ever had (the marghareta at Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix) is just topped with crushed tomatoes, housemade mozzarella, and fresh basil on the most perfect, flavorful, heavenly, lightly charred, ever-so-slightly soured wood-fired crust.

No kidding!

I can't tell you how many times I've had people remark on my food and ask how I made it so well, and so much of the time the answer is "I didn't buy the cheapest, most mass-produced shit at the grocery store."

And I'm not talking about buying the stuff in the fancy packaging or imported from Gourmetmastan or whatever. I'm talking about buying fresh veggies from the Farmer's Market in the summer, or buying chunk cheese and grating it myself, not the pre-grated stuff that has fillers to keep it from clumping and preservatives and all that. You don't need much Parmesan for Alfredo for 2 or 4 people; buy the good stuff. After all, there's no meat in the dish, so you're saving money there.

[Ike Witt]

Margarine
Kraft 100% Parmesan Grated Cheese
Skim milk.

[Ca3799]

My fabulous little local Italian joint puts some kind of awesome shaved ham in their Alfredo- sometimes ( they are very good, if not very consistent).

[SeaDragonTattoo]

Originally Posted by Ike Witt

Margarine
Kraft 100% Parmesan Grated Cheese
Skim milk.

::Hurk::

I just threw up a little in my mouth.

A bit like feta.

where's that barfy smilie?

I'd love to see a picture of that!

[Implicit]

Try it with Asiago or Romano cheese instead of Parmesan and substitute allspice for the nutmeg.

[Leaper]

What a coinkydink; I just made a batch from a process from this old thread that I bookmarked just for that purpose!

The key, apparently, is to mix the pasta with the sauce, not pour it on top. But take a look at that thread; the results were certainly to my liking.

ETA: And you will have to read the thread; the OP missed mentioning how much parmesan to use until later. (And Firefox doesn't acknowledge the existence of parmesan?!? Blasphemy!!!)

[pulykamell]

Originally Posted by Leaper

What a coinkydink; I just made a batch from a process from this old thread that I bookmarked just for that purpose!

Whoa! Time warp. Interesting seeing how my tastes have gravitated from CREAM!!! to cream, I could take it or leave it. The cream-based versions, though, are more what most people in the US are used to.

[devilsknew]

Last Alfredo I made was a Chicken Fettucini Alfredo. I sauteed/browned the Chicken breast, sliced it, and boiled the noodles first, to have everything ready to go in the alfredo sauce a la minute.

In a large saucepan over medium flame, I added a small 8 ounce carton of Heavy whipping cream and still another small carton of Half and Half, let that come to a bubble and slight simmer, popped in about 2-3 tablespoons of cold butter and shook the butter in or emulsified it gently so as not to break, added about 1/2-3/4 cups of Kraft 100% Parmesan Grated Cheese and stirred/emulsified to combine. I added some pepper and the fettucini noodles and chicken pieces and then tossed to combine. Simple as that.

...and I personally don't think there's anything wrong with Kraft Parmesan, it's pretty good in this application, and well, that's all that was available or I otherwise could afford.

[PunditLisa]

Originally Posted by Czarcasm

Did..and hated it.

Sometimes I add pumpkin pie spice when I'm out of nutmeg.