Little sister Sara here! My lovely big sister Annie has asked me to crack open my recipe book and share some of my favorites with you all. As always, her wish is my command, so here I am! I guess I should share a little bit about myself… I’m an accountant by day and a wannabe cook/martini drinker by night. I like to snowboard, sew, and wear stilettos. I have a boyfriend, a Doberman, and a little house just north of Pittsburgh. Needless to say, I’m living the dream. Enough about me*, on to the food!
*Not possible.
I’m going to come right out and say it… I love cream sauces! I love all types of cream sauces and I love making them as much as I love eating them. I love pouring heavy cream into a pot of anything and watching the milky fireworks that follow. And I also love not caring that heavy cream might not be the healthiest ingredient. I don’t care! Why? Because it’s delicious! And once in a while, it’s so totally worth it to care only about taste and not about jiggling thighs. Enjoy that mental image for the rest of the day.
Anyway, I love a lot of cream sauces, but the classic alfredo sauce might be my fave, and boy do I have a doozy (people still say that, right?) of an alfredo recipe. The Parmesan cheese and butter give this sauce amazing flavor, but the unsung hero of this dish is the shallot. What a great ingredient! I like to add shrimp, spinach, mushrooms and penne pasta to mine, but you could add whatever combination of protein/veggies/pasta you like. I’ll bet grilled chicken with peas and bow tie pasta would be pretty good… Get creative!
ALFREDO SAUCE
Ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Cooked pasta
Directions:
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until tender. Add heavy cream and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce has reduced slightly, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour the sauce over cooked pasta, add the Parmesan cheese, and toss to combine thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Add any bonus ingredients (protein/veggies) and serve with some crusty bread and a bottle of Chardonnay. This recipe makes enough sauce for one pound of pasta.
Here’s what mine looks like (sorry for the lame cell phone pic):
Enjoy!
