The best meals to toss on the table for company are the ones which sound impressive, but which are actually very easy to prepare. Pasta Alfredos have a certain mystique about them, but are actually far easier to prepare than pasta with red sauce.
Here is the basic recipe for 4 – it multiplies perfectly and I have done it for up to as many as 32.
¼ lb (1 stick) unsalted butter (never use salted)
1 clove garlic
½ cup heavy cream
¼ – ½ cup shredded Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago cheese
½ lb fettuccini (cooked in heavily salted water ~ 10 minutes)
The sauce takes a little longer than the pasta, so get the water boiling then start the sauce.
Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over med-low heat. The key is to cook all the water out of the butter. Otherwise, it won’t bind right and tends to clump or separate later. (This stage is a lot like making ghee.) Let the butter bubble lightly but never boil until it is completely clear and golden in color. Crush garlic with the side of a knife then chop finely. Cook a couple of minutes until you can smell the garlic above the pan. Raise the heat a bit and just as it begins to froth add the cream. When it begins to bubble again, reduce the heat so that you keep light bubbling in the center of the pan. Start the pasta about now. Stir the sauce now and then to make sure it binds and the sauce cooks evenly. Reduce by about 1/3 rd until the consistency is smooth and the sauce has thickened slightly. Dust the top with a liberal amount of freshly ground pepper. (I like to use the mélange that has several different colors of peppercorns, but regular black is fine also.) Boost up the heat until the mixture just starts to boil and add the cheese. Stir briskly to melt and bind the cheese quickly, then turn the heat down low. If using the carbonara addition (see below), add it now. Drain the pasta and add about 2/3rds of it to the sauce. Toss briskly to coat the noodles, then keep adding a bit at a time and tossing until all the sauce is soaked up and all the noodles are evenly coated. You may have a bit of pasta left over.
Tip into serving dish and dust the top with ¼ tsp of nutmeg. Have a little extra grated cheese to top it with.
Carbonara Addition –
If you can find good peppered pancetta, use it. Otherwise, thick sliced peppered bacon works just fine. Figure about ¼-½ slice of pancetta or ½ – 1 slice of bacon per person. Cut the bacon into ½ inch chunks and fry in a heavy skillet until all the grease is fried out but the bacon isn’t quite yet crisp. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Use about 1 green onion per 2 slices of bacon or 1 slice pancetta. Slice fine and sauté in olive oil until transparent. Mix with the bacon and set aside until it is time to add to the Alfredo. As soon as the cheese is melted in the Alfredo sauce, add the carbonara, reduce the heat, and toss to coat the noodles and distribute the meat. The carbonara is mostly to add flavor, and all you want is a small chunk or two per bite of pasta.
If you are using a large decorative skillet to make the Alfredo, it can go directly to the serving table in it and allow your guests to serve themselves buffet style.
Complement with a tossed, or even better Caesar, salad, a loaf of crusty sourdough french bread with real butter, and a dry white wine.
