Can the more knowledgeable Dopers advise me about the feasibility of making a cream sauce ahead of time & then gently re-heating to serve?
I’ve been making a lemon garlic dish based off this recipe:
… and want to do a bit of the dinner prep in advance if possible. Would the sauce hold in the fridge for a couple of hours? What about a couple of days? Will it “break” upon being warmed & stirred with the other ingredients? It’s got both cream and Parmesan, but no milk, if that makes any difference.
My guess is that you might be able to make the sauce in advance but it probably won’t be as good as if you make it at the time it is going to be served. Most pasta dishes like this are supposed to be made while the pasta is boiling and then you add the cooked pasta directly to the fresh, warm sauce. There is an additional chance for the sauce to break if you cool it then reheat it.
Looks delicious. I’d be too timid to prep any cream sauce ahead. Ive found serving leftovers of anything with a cream sauce the next day is never quite the same.
Looks yummy! I wonder about trying to make it a little healthier by substituting lowfat yogurt or sour cream for some of the half & half or heavy cream?