master recipe: parmesan cream sauce

How To Make master recipe: parmesan cream sauce

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  1

  PREP/PREPARE
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  2

  Gather your ingredients.
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  3

  Add the butter to a saucepan over medium heat.
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  4

  If you are not using clarified butter, wait until the foaming subsides.
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  5

  Add the flour.
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  6

  Whisk until completely incorporated, about 1 quick minute.
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  7

  Chef’s Note: Adding fat and flour together creates a roux. There are different stages of a roux; the longer your cook it, the browner it gets, and the nuttier it tastes. We want a light roux… no browning. So, 1 minute on the heat is about all you want.
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  8

  Slowly whisk in the chicken stock.
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  9

  Chef’s Tip: Do not use hot chicken stock, or you will get lumps in your sauce.
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  Continue to whisk until completely smooth.
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  Add the cream.
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  12

  Stir to incorporate, about 1 minute.
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  13

  Chef’s Note: At this point, season with salt and pepper.
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  14

  Chef’s Note: We are using white pepper, because we don’t want to see little black flakes in the sauce. In addition, white pepper is milder than black pepper, so adjust your seasoning accordingly.
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  15

  Continue to cook and stir for an additional 2 minutes.
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  Add the Parmesan
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  Stir until incorporated, about 1 minute.
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  Chef’s Note: If the sauce is too thick, add more cream or chicken stock, one tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved.
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  19

  Chef’s Tip: If you are making this sauce ahead of time, put a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap over the sauce while it cools to prevent a skin from forming.
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  20

  VARIATIONS ON A THEME
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  FOR FISH AND CHICKEN: Add about 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme and oregano and 1 or 2 baked/mined cloves of garlic.
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  A VEGGIE DIP: Use the same variations for fish and chicken, but melt about 2 ounces of cream cheese into the sauce.
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  PASTA: Use the master recipe without variations over most pasta.
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  PASTA VARIATION: Skin, seed, and chop one large plum tomato add a tablespoon of chopped basil, and serve over pasta.
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  Chef’s Note: When I use garlic in a sauce, I like to bake the garlic first. Place the garlic cloves on a piece of parchment paper and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Pull the ends of the parchment paper together and twist together, like a beggar’s pouch. Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, and allow it to cool. Add a few pinches of salt, and then mash into a paste with the flat side of your kitchen knife.
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  26

  Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
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