The Alfredo and Spinach Dip Recipes

Alfredo Sauce from Scratch

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups milk
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup Parmesan, grated
• 1 cup Romano, grated
• 12 egg yolks 
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Original procedures:
2. 1. Heat milk and cream in heavy bottom saucepan until it begins to simmer. Turn off heat. Slowly whip in cheese, then remove from heat.
3. 2. Place egg yolks in a separate bowl and slowly whip in a portion of the hot milk and cream mixture. Slowly add egg yolk mixture back into remaining cream mixture. Place back on very low heat and continually stir until simmering. Take sauce off heat so it thickens. (This will increase temperature of egg yolks, known as tempering). 
4. 3. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over favorite pasta.
5. How I do...
6. Have serving bowl ready, or a bowl for the sauce when it's done...
7. I stick the milk and cream on a nonstick pot (the deeper the better) and turn on medium to medium high heat. Then I separate the egg yolks from the whites putting the yolks into a big metal bowl. I also get my cheese ready in another bowl. I usually use shredded 3 italian cheeses, 2 cups of it. While I do those things, I frequently go back and stir the pot of cream just to make sure there isn't any burning on the bottom. I usually use a wooden spoon for this so I can leave the spoon in the pot. 
8. When the milk/cream starts to boil, as opposed to a simmer, because I swear if it's not hot enough, the cheese will clump, like when it's bubbling, not boiling over, but a little more active than what most people define a simmer, I turn off the heat. 
9. You want to use a hand mixer or a hand blender whisk (which is what I used), and slowly add the cheese as you are mixing it. Don't cheat on this with a regular whisk. You want something powered by electricity. You will feel the sauce get thicker, sort of like the thickness of sweet milk at room temp, just enough to kind of coat the spoon. You don't want to overbeat or the sauce will be too thick later. You don't want to underbeat because then it will be too runny later. This is part 1 of the art part. You have no idea how thick you are making it as you make it.  
10. Then I add half the mixture to the eggs and beat it with the same beating device I just used. Dump it back in the pot, stir, and turn heat on. Then I stand there stirring it non stop until it comes to a boil again. Just like before. More active than a simmer. Less active than boiling water. Some bubbles form at the top. This is the part where if you cook too long, it will get curdly looking. If you don't cook long enough, it's too runny. 
11. The part where I usually mess up, as soon as you see those bubbles, you have to get it out of that pot and into something cool. It's not enough to just turn off the heat. You want to immediately move it over to a regular bowl and let it cool. If you just turn off the heat and walk to a cabinet to get a bowl, the time it takes to do that, it will start curdling. It's still good to eat that way. It's just not as pretty. And if you got a picky kid, they may decide the sauce is too dry. 
12. If it is too thick once it cools, you can add some milk or whipping cream and stir and stir and stir until desired consistency. 
13. Instead of salt and pepper, I season to taste with Garlic Salt. I did forget to do that this last time around.