I love chicken alfredo. When many people make it at home, they cook the pasta, sauté the chicken and then turn to Prego or Ragu to dress it—it doesn’t have to be this way!
Using the steps I outlined in my previous post, you should understand how to make a roux—just combine flour and fat with a whisk over medium heat until it bubbles (this will happen very quickly, btw). Now I would like to introduce you to one of the 5 mother sauces of French cuisine: Béchamel sauce. A Béchamel is simply a sauce made with cream and a roux. I’m sure a French chef would say that there is more to it than that, but in reality—it’s that simple.
Now lets imagine that chicken alfredo for a moment. Isn’t alfredo a creamy sauce? Why yes, yes it is! Lets quickly run through how to make a basic alfredo:
You will need:
1 cup Olive oil (extra virgin)
1 cup Flour
1 quart Cream (heavy whipping cream works best)
2 cup Parmasian cheese (the kraft grated kind works as well)
Garlic (power or granulated)
Parsley (flakes will do fine—it’s just for color, really)
You can adjust this recipe for your needs, but you will probably want between a pint and a quart of cream. In a small stock pot, heat the cream over medium-low heat. You mustn’t let it boil, but you do want it to give off a bit of steam—so remember: hot, not boiling!
When you’re heating the cream, throw in your parmasian cheese. You might need more if you want a strong cheese taste or less if you would like it to be more subtle. This is YOUR recipe—it should taste how you want it. It’s fine to see if your cream is to your liking as you are cooking.
You will also want to add the garlic while you’re heating the cream. About a tablespoon should suffice if you’re using the power, but again, this is YOUR dish; flavor it how you want. If you want to add a dash of salt, go for it!
Lastly, throw in some parsley for color. At this point, the cream should TASTE like alfredo even if it isn’t the consistency that one would expect.
Finally, make your roux. Use olive oil as your fat (this is Italian food, after all) and whisk in the flour over medium heat. You may not need a cup of each depending on how you’ve adjusted the recipe. Also as a reminder, the more roux you incorporate into the cream, the thicker it will be. Again, this is your recipe, you decide how thick you’d like it.
When the roux has come together, whisk it vigorously into the cream. If you are experimenting with thickness, you may incorporate small amounts of the roux into the cream at a time until you reach your desired thickness. You should notice that it starts to thicken almost immediately. If it doesn’t, you might need to add more roux. Also be mindful that when you use this process, the sauce will thicken as it cools as well. Your sauce should be very flavorful. All that’s left to do now is add your pasta and chicken (or shrimp) and eat. It’s as easy as that!
Now you’ve learned how to make a Béchamel sauce. This sauce can do a lot of things. I’m thinking that our next endeavor will be delicious homemade macaroni and cheese using a cheese sauce made from a Béchamel. I also plan to show you a couple of other uses to get you thinking—perhaps how to use a Béchamel in a seafood pot-pie or a lasagna. Stay tuned!
3 comments:
Man, I love alfredo! Side note, is it sad that I recognize Olive Garden's plates?
Kraft Grated Parmesan?! Seriously you should spend two more dollars and purchase a wedge of parmesan from your local grocer. I buy this: http://bit.ly/bFIMNW for $5.99 at a grocery chain here in the midwest. The difference is amazing, I use a quarter of what I would use of Kraft becuse it has SO much more flavor.
*steps off soap box*
It's good to see you posting! :P
If you note, Truston, I said the kraft kind works AS WELL. I certainly don't suggest people use that over real cheese, but some people don't have that type of access. I would much rather use the real thing when making something like alfredo. The real thing does melt a lot slower in milk tho... pros and cons, pros and cons.
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