Fettuccine Alfredo
Chapter 1 — The Sauces: The Foundational Layer
Let's get one thing straight before we even melt the butter: if you go to Rome and ask for Alfredo with heavy cream, garlic, and nutmeg, they will look at you like you have two heads. But we aren't in Rome—we are in Brooklyn, or the Bronx, or South Philly, where generations of immigrants built a cuisine that unapologetically embraces dairy richness. This is the ultimate twenty-minute restaurant indulgence, built to be whipped up in a massive Dutch oven while a houseful of people opens the wine and pulls the foil-wrapped garlic bread from the oven.
Ingredients
- dried fettuccine1 lb
- unsalted butter8 tbsp
- cloves garlic3 large
- heavy whipping cream1 1/2 cup
- ground nutmeg1/8 tsp
- Parmigiano-Reggiano1 1/2 cup
- egg yolk1 large
- kosher saltto taste
- black pepperto taste
- flat-leaf Italian parsleyto taste
Method
- 01
Bring a large Dutch oven of aggressively salted water to a rolling boil and cook the fettuccine until just al dente.
Before you drain the pasta, scoop out about one cup of the starchy pasta water to keep as an insurance policy for the sauce.
- 02
Return the empty Dutch oven to the stove over medium-low heat and melt the butter.
Add the minced garlic and let it gently sizzle for a minute or two to infuse the fat, making sure it does not brown or crisp.
- 03
Pour in the heavy cream, nutmeg, and a generous crack of black pepper, whisking gently to combine.
Let the mixture come to a gentle simmer and bubble away for three to four minutes until it slightly coats the back of a spoon.
- 04
Whisk two tablespoons of the hot cream mixture into the beaten egg yolk to temper it, then whisk the warmed egg back into the pot.
This old-school Arthur Avenue trick instantly gives the sauce an unparalleled velvet texture and a pale-golden hue.
- 05
Turn the heat completely off, drop the drained pasta into the pot, and furiously toss in the grated cheese by the handful.
The cheese will melt into the cream and butter to create a glossy emulsion; if it feels too thick or sticky, splash in a little of your reserved pasta water until every noodle is perfectly coated.
- 06
Transfer the pasta immediately to a warm serving platter, topping with more cheese, black pepper, and chopped parsley.
Call the crowd to the table, unwrap the steaming foil from the garlic bread, and eat it while it is piping hot.
Notes
Grate the cheese yourself.
Pre-grated cheese is coated in cellulose to prevent sticking, which will make your sauce grainy instead of glossy. Buy a block and put your box grater to work.
Turn the heat off before adding the cheese.
If you boil the cheese, the proteins will separate and turn gritty. The residual heat of the cream and the hot pasta is plenty to melt it.
From Cook Red Sauce at Home.