[DevilNuts]

Hello!

I've been making a pretty basic alfredo sauce with butter, heavy cream and PR. The sauce comes out awesome, but I have an issue:

The leftovers are never as good as the first night I make the sauce. After refrigeration, the butter and the cheese separate, so that I have buttery pasta with little clumps of cheese everywhere, and the cream seems to just disappear altogether.


Does anyone know why the sauce does this, and is there anything I can do to stop it??

[Ma Facon]

Too much butter and you reduce the cream too much, Let the cheese thicken the cream.

[Z~BESTUS]

DEVILNUTS:
Good morning. I believe your problem has to do with the concoction curdling. Egg yolks begin to coagulate at 140 degrees. They need to be beaten with the heavy cream before using the eggs. This way the the curdling temp. is then raised to 180 degrees.
Normal proportions are 2 1/2 parts cream to 1 part egg yolks.
You must temper this concoction with a few Tbls of the hot liquid mixed to-gether, beating constantly.
Off the heat add this liaison mix well .
Begin heating on a slow burner keeping it under 180 degrees
To use ,it should be in the range of 145 to 175 degrees. Keep it under 180 degrees.

I hope this will solve your problem. Enjoy the rest of the day.

~ZEE,

[jigz369]

Add a bit of cornstarch to the mixture and this will solve your seperation issue.
Just my opinion though....

[oldschool1982]

Excuse me but isn't Alfredo a one and done sauce? Meaning one heat and eat. IMHPO it's a butter sauce that uses reduction, the cheese and a Liason to thicken it. I don't believe I've ever seen Alfredo Sauce re heat well. It's just not meant to be reheated. . Plus it's so simple to make why not just do fresh every time?

If it's that important to be able to reheat.... Don't use a microwave. Do it on the stove top and add the pasta and sauce to some already reducing cream or just ake a Bechemel but substitute some of the milk with cream and add some good quality Parm and thicken with a roux like the recipe (Bechemel) calls for it. I'd stay away from cornstach. No offense intended jigz. Just not a big fan of it's use. It has it's place in the kitchen just not in Alfredo sauce.....

If you're going to make Alfredo here's the recipe I was trained with;

Heavy Cream 8oz.vol
Butter whole unsalted. 2oz. wt.
Parmesano-Reggiano 8oz.vol.
grated fine
Nutmeg, fresh grated 1/8tsp
egg yolks 2ea
salt to taste

Fettuccini Noodles, Hot 12oz.wt.

In saute pan over high flame add cream and reduce by half. Reduce heat to med and add butter and swirl pan until incorporated. Add cheese and nutmeg and incorporate same way. Remove from heat and add egg yolks Incorporate to thicken off heat and add Fettuccini noodles. Toss well to coat noodles and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately.

[even stephen]

Having worked in a few italian restaurants, I never saw any italians use
cream in alfredo or carbonara.....they would take the pasta from the water
leaving a generous amount of water in the pan, add butter, a whole egg, parmesan, and perhaps nutmeg, but rarely. Vigorously stir until the whole thing came together....If done that way, its definitely an ala minute preparation. Run of the mill cream sauces???? I have started doing something a little different....I brown about a quarter pound of butter in a large sauce pot....add 6 quarts of heavy cream, then, burr mix 3 pounds of
cream cheese into the simmering cream, lightly, but, lightly, thicken with just a little cornstarch slurry.....That I use for bases in alfredo sauce, mac'n'cheese, truffled mac'n'cheese, creamy spinach, etc.....next time make a sauce similar to that and add your cheese each time you make pasta....sauce keeps for a few days in the refrigerator....great for lasagna, great for soup base, great for a lot.....it just seems to be a fresher end product...smooth, rich, and not as fat....good luck.....

[jigz369]

[quote=oldschool1982;189951]Excuse me but isn't Alfredo a one and done sauce? Meaning one heat and eat. IMHPO it's a butter sauce that uses reduction, the cheese and a Liason to thicken it. I don't believe I've ever seen Alfredo Sauce re heat well. It's just not meant to be reheated. . Plus it's so simple to make why not just do fresh every time?

If it's that important to be able to reheat.... Don't use a microwave. Do it on the stove top and add the pasta and sauce to some already reducing cream or just ake a Bechemel but substitute some of the milk with cream and add some good quality Parm and thicken with a roux like the recipe (Bechemel) calls for it. I'd stay away from cornstach. No offense intended jigz. Just not a big fan of it's use. It has it's place in the kitchen just not in Alfredo sauce.....
No offense taken. I was referring to preventing the Alfredo from breaking when cooled and reheated. I use a small amount simply to hold the components, not really to thicken.
Just my opinion though...