This would have been better with fresh pasta, but I only decided to make it at the last minute. Alfredo pasta is a really simple dish, but one that requires technique and forethought. The trickiest part is getting the pasta to the table in that magical window where it's still runny and cheesy and hasn't yet turned gloppy and grainy and cold. One way to achieve this is to serve the dish to your family in a sauna. Now, it's very, very unpleasant to eat a heavy, creamy pasta dish in a sauna, but hey, do you want silky alfredo or not? Another way to preserve the viscosity of your alfredo is to serve it in warm bowls. This can be achieved either by dipping your bowls into the pot of boiling pasta water, or by placing them in the oven. It is also advisable to recruit the help of your fastest family member and assign him or her to run the plates into the dining room at a full sprint to stave off cooling.
For the Pasta:
cook some pasta
For the Sauce:
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 tbsp butter
s/p to taste
black pepper to taste
red pepper flakes to taste
freshly ground nutmeg to taste
1 cup finely grated Parmesean cheese
I strongly reccomend when making this dish that you buy the best Parmesean you can find. Actual, Parmesean from Parma is expensive, but it has a couple distinct advantages: First of all, it tastes great; secondly, it keeps very well; and finally, unlike most American Parmesean replicants which are intended soley for grating over pasta, authentic Parmesean can be enjoyed as a stand alone cheese or as part of a cheese course. This increases its usefullness and economy.
Don't start your sauce until your water is just approaching the boil. The sauce takes about 20 minutes to cook and then has about a 15 minute window of max deliciousness. So, when your water's just short of the boil, in a wide pan, bring half your cream and all your butter to a simmer over medium heat. Cut the heat to mid-low and let the sauce reduce for 10 minutes. The moment after you add your pasta to the boiling water and give it a stir, add the rest of the cream, the spices and salt to the sauce and return it to a steady simmer. Slowly, handful by handful, add the cheese to the sauce, stirring constantly to ensure creaminess. Fill your bowls with boiling water, or heat them by whatever method you've devised, and instruct your diners to sit down and hold their forks "in the ready position." (If you're serving the meal in a sauna, you can skip these steps.) Drain your pasta in a colander and then quickly tip it into your sauce. I try not to drain the pasta too completely as I believe a small amount of water keeps the sauce silky. Using tongs, cook the pasta in the sauce for about 60 seconds, then heap small portions onto the warm plates and top them with additional cheese. I usually serve this with a salad of tossed bitter greens like chickory.
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