Heavy Cream Reduction

[Cooking_Sherry]

I’m would appreciate some advise on how to make a heavy cream reduction.
My understanding is, simmer the heavy cream then boil to reduce. The two problem areas I’m concerned with are scalding the cream and breaking the reduction?. How do I avoid these problem areas and am I correctly beginning the reduction process? My initial application will be Alfredo sauce

[W.DeBord]

When making alfedo at home (I made it with dinner this evening about once a week) I reduce the cream right in with my noodles. And adjust by under cooking my pre-cooked pasta. It really doesn't take much reducing for a couple serving. Then turn down my heat and add my cheese, salt and pepper, toss abit and turn off the heat, let it sit for a minute before serving.

But when I'd make a large batch of pasta alfedo I do reduce my cream seperately. It's just a matter of boiling it long enough for evaporation to happen. Reducing is often done in frying pans (in professional kitchens) to speed up the process. By having a larger surface area for the evaporation you can reduce your liquid quicker. But any liquid can be reduced in a pot too, like you do your spagetti sauce, you boil your cream down the same way...

Your not going to scald the cream unless you have an extemely high heat or too thin of a pan. Just a regular high flame in a decent pan or pot will work fine. As far as breaking a reduction, hum I can't think of how you can. Adding lemon won't do it.....Maybe someone else knows how you would?

But what I'm trying to say is relax and don't worry. Have you done this and had a problem???

[Wambly]

For Alfredo I reduce shallots in white wine then add the cream and let it reduce then add parm .
To get to nape I watch the bubbles ... they will start to take longer to pop as the sauce becomes more viscous.

If you are doing a large batch make sure and use a tall sauce pan to keep the cream from boiling over. I have used sauté pans for this when making single order pan reductions, but you have to watch the heat closely to keep the sauce in the pan and off the stove.

The emulsification of heavy cream is HARD to break. There is a large enough amount of fat that it is almost "bullet proof".

One of my favorite chicken dishes uses a modification of this sauce ..

1) Sauté chix breast till 1/2 done, reserve
2) add shallot
3) deglaze with white wine, reduce to au sec
4) add sliced mushrooms, any type of shroom (can be precooked)
5) add heavy cream
6) add chicken base (can use stock if base not available)
7) when cream comes up to a strong simmer, add breast to finish cooking.
8) reduce to nape
9) finish with salt and white pepper.

If I am using chicken stock (instead of base) and uncooked mush, I will cook the mush in the chicken stock as it reduces then add the cream.

[Pastachef]

I made a beautiful lemon/cream sauce at work one day, and froze a container of it to use for chicken. When I took the sauce out of the freezer and thawed it, I noticed that it was not as pretty. It had taken on a gray tone and the flavor of the onions in the recipe had taken over. Any advice? Thank you in advance.

[W.DeBord]

To the best of my experiences you can't freeze all cream sauces. Although I think I recall a couple times having successfully reheated, and it might have had to do with how it was re-warmed that made it successful in conjuction with the thickener used.

Obviously if you have gelatin in your cream mixture (like in mousses and bavarians) they defrost nicely with-out any loss of quality. So I'm thinking that you have to have something else that binds the liquids and solids in the cream to keep them bound thru defrost....but all thickners don't work thru freezing. For instance I think flour (as in a roux) holds thru defrosts and cornstarch won't.

Maybe you'll see something that helps explain this at www.foodstarch.com .

[Pastachef]

Thank you! That was exactly what I was looking for. I had used a little corn starch to thicken the sauce. Now I know better.

[Isa]

I'll be very curious to see how did work. Please PC let me know how the cream freezes with the starch.

[Cooking_Sherry]

I've read that rice flour it the stach of choice if you plan to freeze and reheat. However, I've never tried it.

[Pastachef]

Hi Isa, What I was saying here was that using the corn starch made my sauce ugly when it froze. Rice flour? I will definitely give that one a try. Sometimes I have to really rush things along at the sorority, so I didn't have time to reduce the sauce by boiling it any longer. That's when I used the little bit of corn starch to thicken it just a little.

[Isa]

When I misread things like that, I know I'm having a bad day.

[Pastachef]

That makes two of us, Isa. I do have lots of bad days. I guess everyone does.

[chefboy2160]

If you use roux as a part of your cream sauce it will reheat OK
from the freezer or the fridge . When I make a white sauce I also normally use a little corn starch white wash in conjunction with the roux ( it gives a nice glossy appearance to the sauce ) but the roux is the main thickening agent . Ive never had a problem with this as long as I have followed these procedures but I"ll tell you that I am not a big fan of reusing leftover anything . I much prefer these sauces to be made to order at the sauciers station,
however when a large banquet is the order of the day and you need quantity roux with a touch of whitewash cornstarch is the way to go . Of course thats just my opinion.......................

[ED BUCHANAN]

Originally Posted by Pastachef

I made a beautiful lemon/cream sauce at work one day, and froze a container of it to use for chicken. When I took the sauce out of the freezer and thawed it, I noticed that it was not as pretty. It had taken on a gray tone and the flavor of the onions in the recipe had taken over. Any advice? Thank you in advance.

Sometimes the pan you prepare the sauce in (cheap aluminum) could effect the color and taste. the lemon is citric acid which would cause a reaction with the pan. This is why I told all my students never freeze with aluminum foil as it has a reaction with almost all foods. It forms grey dots on the surface of the food, this is aluminum oxide which in another form is great for treating ulcers but not for storeing food. The foil industry tells you to use foil on everything so they can sell more. Ed Buchanan

[jigz369]

Please remember that corn starch is not designed to be frozen. If you're using corn starch, only use enough to add a sheen to your sauce. The majority of your thickening should come from a quality roux. If you dislike using roux, go find a modified starch that is designed for freezing, like arrowroot. You'll have success this way.
Just my opinion though....

[oldschool1982]

I certainly hope Cooking_Sherry is still not trying to reduce the cream and Pastachef figured out the color difference. After all it's only been 6 years!!!!!!!!!! I'm all for recycling but c'mon gang. Although it is interesting to see what was going on here "so many years ago"