[jeremycfd]

So I happen to be a big fan of rich cream sauces for pasta. I've been experimenting for the last few weeks, and while I can make an okay sauce it just never gets as rich and as thick as what I have at restaurants. Can anyone please take a look at what I generally do and give me some suggestions? I'd prefer to avoid adding cheese to it because I try not to eat cheese. I usually start by cooking chopped shallots in EVOO until they start to soften. I then use my garlic press on a couple of cloves of garlic and add that to the mix. After that cooks a little (with some sea salt and black pepper), I add a splash of white wine and let the alcohol cook out. Then I add whipping cream. I sometimes put a little corn starch in the mix to try to thicken it up some, but it doesn't seem to help very much. And of course I often add other ingredients for flavor, like chopped capers or dried tarragon. In the end, it tastes so-so but is definitely not restaurant-quality. It is too soupy and not rich enough. Any suggestions are appreciated!!

[Anneke]

Just curious: why do you avoid cheese?

[lentil]

I melt butter, soften shallots and garlic, add wine and cook the alcohol out, add flour and cook for a few minutes to get rid of the flour taste, add chicken stock sometimes, then add half and half, milk, or heavy cream. . Whisk or stir until thickened. Add shredded cheese- parm/ romano/asiago and stir until melted. Always thick and creamy.

[boar_d_laze]

You seem to have your own ideas for what you want and don't want in your cream sauce for pasta. They're not my ideas, but so what? "De gustibus non disputandum," which translates as, "you're old enough to know what you want to eat." Wisdom and palate notwithstanding, you're the victim of bad technique. Let's see if we can't replace it with good.

First: Corn starch is the wrong thickener. It's wrong for wine, and wrong for the fairly rough handling you're dishing out to a dairy sauce. Ixnay the corn starch.

Here are five ways to go which rely on good technique. There are others, but these are the most basic.

Contemporary, straight reduction: Change the olive oil for butter. What made you think of combining olive oil and cream to begin with? Use whipping cream or heavy whipping cream. Add the wine and garlic to the shallots and butter, and reduce by at least 2/3 before adding cream. Do not add raw garlic directly to cream. Add the cream as the last ingredient and reduce at a simmer until desired consistency -- that is, reduce by about 1/2. (You can help the low-heat reduction process along by using a wide pan -- a lot of surface area speeds reduction. There's even a special shape called a saucier in French.) This will be a very rich, but still fairly loose sauce.

Traditional, egg (protein) thickened: Cook as above, but while the cream is reducing, break one egg for each cup of cream and beat them in a separate bowl. When the cream has reduced by about 1/4 to 1/3, reduce the heat to a low simmer; then (counter-intuitively) remove the sauce from the flame. Add a few tbs of hot cream to the beaten eggs to "temper" them. Then whisk the cream/egg mixture into the sauce. Return the sauce to the heat and whisk slowly and continuously until thickened. About 2 or 3 minutes. This is even richer than the version above, and nicely thickened. The term for using an egg this way is called "binding the sauce."

Traditional, bechamel variation: Change the cream for light cream (1/2 and 1/2). Proportion butter and light cream as follows: 2 tbs butter for each cup of cream. Saute the shallots in butter, add the garlic. Stir and when garlic becomes fragrant add 1 tbs flour for each 2 tbs butter. Cook the flour in the butter, at medium-low to medium heat, stirring frequently. The flour will at first smell raw, then as the smell disappears it will slowly change color. When the color becomes honey-blond, add the whine all at once. The wine will thicken all at once, and the mixture will look clumpy. Don't worry about how it looks, stir and cook until the raw alcohol smell disappears. Then raise the heat to medium-high and add the cream. If the cream is cold, you can add it in batches, letting it come to a simmer before adding more -- stirring frequently all the while. When all the cream is in, bring it to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let it fully thicken -- about three minutes.

Traditional, veloute variation: Prepare the bechamel variation as above, but with the following changes: Replace each cup of cream with 1/4 cup of stock and 3/4 cup of cream. Add the stock after the wine, but before adding the cream.

Traditional, allemande variation: Prepare either the bechamel or the veloute variation as above. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, beat one egg for each 2 cups of cream. When the sauce is fully thickened, temper the eggs, add them to the sauce off the flame, and finish the sauce at a simmer, whisking constantly -- as already described. When the sauce is fully set up you may add a little more wine. This will be a fairly stiff sauce with a fresh, wine taste.

With all of these, you might consider adding, after cooking, some fresh or frozen peas and some cooked ham cut in small dice, or crumbled, crisp bacon. The residual heat will be enough to finish them.

Hope this helps,
BDL

PS Cooking the flour in the butter as described in the bechamel, and as required for the veloute and allemande is called "making a roux (pronounced "roo.") This makes for a very smooth sauce. Adding the flour directly to liquid sometimes results in lumps; also, the flour does not cook as well.

PPS These things are legitimate techniques in Italian cooking and have Italian as well as French names. But (a) I don't know them, and (b) French is the lingua Franca of cooking. Who knew?

[jeremycfd]

Thanks for all of the information! Do I have to use real butter, or will margarine do? I rarely keep actual butter on-hand these days. And to respond to Anneke, I pretty much gave up most cheese a while back, after I stopped eating red meat. It's a step I took that will potentially result in my becoming a vegan eventually. Check out the book "Skinny *****" if that interests you at all. If not, I understand... cheese is amazing, and to each his/her own.

[Anneke]

Originally Posted by jeremycfd

Thanks for all of the information! Do I have to use real butter, or will margarine do? I rarely keep actual butter on-hand these days. And to respond to Anneke, I pretty much gave up most cheese a while back, after I stopped eating red meat. It's a step I took that will potentially result in my becoming a vegan eventually. Check out the book "Skinny *****" if that interests you at all. If not, I understand... cheese is amazing, and to each his/her own.

I'm sorry, I don't understand. You did say "cream sauce", right? Not judging, again, just curious...

[boar_d_laze]

Originally Posted by jeremycfd

Thanks for all of the information! Do I have to use real butter, or will margarine do?

Yes, real butter. Margarine without either trans fat or real milk solids simply won't work. Margarine with trans-fat and milk solids is less healthy and contains almost as much animal products as cream.

As to the vegan thing, good luck with that.

BDL

[jeremycfd]

Originally Posted by Anneke

I'm sorry, I don't understand. You did say "cream sauce", right? Not judging, again, just curious...

Yes... Someone can consume cream and milk without consuming cheese, I believe.

[phatch]

You might be happy with the effect some finely ground dried white beans would have in thickening your sauce. Put some white beans in a coffee grinder, grind to a powder. Best if you have a clean grinder for this. Add a tablespoon or so at a time and stir and let simmer a few minutes and adjust as needed.

This isn't as powerful athickener as roux or cornstarch, but is very neutral and won't break in the same way those do with extended cooking.

Phil

[Anneke]

Originally Posted by jeremycfd

Yes... Someone can consume cream and milk without consuming cheese, I believe.

Sure. The only relevant difference between cheese and milk/cream is potentially animal rennet. Is this what's keeping you from cheese?

The reason I ask is that there are animal friendly alternatives to renneted cheeses.

[jeremycfd]

Originally Posted by Anneke

Sure. The only relevant difference between cheese and milk/cream is potentially animal rennet. Is this what's keeping you from cheese?

The reason I ask is that there are animal friendly alternatives to renneted cheeses.

Giving up cheese is mostly just my first step towards giving up most dairy. I guess it sounds kind of stupid to come here asking about a cream sauce recipe and then talking about becoming vegan, but I'm taking it one step at a time. I waited nearly 4 years after giving up red meat before giving up cheese. I like to take it slowly I know that there are soy cheeses available, but I've never tried to cook with them. Does anyone have any experience cooking with soy cheese?

[Anneke]

I wouldn't bother. Proper cheese has 4 ingredients, all natural. Analog cheeses, while being extremely high in salt, are also full of chemicals. It's not a worthwile compromise.

[siduri]

this is off topic a bit but i don;t get the no dairy business.

If it's for the sake of the animals, not to have them treated badly, then there are sources of good milk and eggs that don;t involve bad treatment of the cows and chickens. (Indians consider cows sacred and yet their diet is full of milk and milk products).

If it's for health, then forget the substitutes, and eat a diet of vegetables and (real) vegetable products and forget cream sauces of any kind - you'll just get some crappy artificial ersatz version that will not satisfy and will ruin your palate. If you're really into vegan, you'll have to develop a taste for it esp if you want to eat a balanced diet and get enough protein. Whole grains and legumes will be your basic diet and lots of vegetables.
If you start using margarine, you are goign to ruin your health, not enhance it.

If it's for happiness and general well-being, then bring on the milk!

[jeremycfd]

Originally Posted by siduri

this is off topic a bit but i don;t get the no dairy business.

If it's for the sake of the animals, not to have them treated badly, then there are sources of good milk and eggs that don;t involve bad treatment of the cows and chickens. (Indians consider cows sacred and yet their diet is full of milk and milk products).

If it's for health, then forget the substitutes, and eat a diet of vegetables and (real) vegetable products and forget cream sauces of any kind - you'll just get some crappy artificial ersatz version that will not satisfy and will ruin your palate. If you're really into vegan, you'll have to develop a taste for it esp if you want to eat a balanced diet and get enough protein. Whole grains and legumes will be your basic diet and lots of vegetables.
If you start using margarine, you are goign to ruin your health, not enhance it.

If it's for happiness and general well-being, then bring on the milk!

In the future I'll be sure to avoid all of this by refusing to explain my preferences/needs. Thanks for the response.

[kuan]

You gotta know this board is full of people who hold time honored food traditions in high esteem.

Anyway, for "restaurant quality" cream sauces, you'll need to use a butter/flour roux, or, you'll need to reduce the cream a little bit. IMO the best cream alfredo is pasta tossed in butter and cream.