master recipe: parmesan cream sauce
Every chef worth his or her salt needs a decent method for creating a creamy Parmesan sauce. Remember: The trick to making a worthy Parmesan sauce (besides taste) is that it is thin enough to flow when drizzling over chicken or fish, yet thick enough to cling to things, like pasta. A good Parmesan sauce forms a base for many dishes; including but not restricted to, chicken, fish, pasta, and shrimp. So, you ready… Let’s get into the kitchen.
prep time
10 Min
cook time
15 Min
method
Stove Top
yield
4 - 6
Ingredients
- PLAN/PURCHASE
- 2 tablespoons sweet butter, unsalted, i recommend clarified butter
- 2 tablespoons flour, all purpose variety
- 1/2 cup chicken stock, not broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- - white pepper, freshly ground, to taste
- - salt, kosher variety, freshly ground, to taste
- OPTIONAL ITEMS (MORE ON VARIATIONS LATER)
- - skinned/seeded/chopped fresh tomatoes
- - cream cheese
- - baked garlic
- - freshly chopped herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, etc.)
- - a pinch of nutmeg during the holidays
How To Make master recipe: parmesan cream sauce
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Step 1PREP/PREPARE
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Step 2Gather your ingredients.
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Step 3Add the butter to a saucepan over medium heat.
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Step 4If you are not using clarified butter, wait until the foaming subsides.
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Step 5Add the flour.
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Step 6Whisk until completely incorporated, about 1 quick minute.
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Step 7Chef’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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Step 8Slowly whisk in the chicken stock.
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Step 9Chef’s Tip: Do not use hot chicken stock, or you will get lumps in your sauce.
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Step 10Continue to whisk until completely smooth.
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Step 11Add the cream.
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Step 12Stir to incorporate, about 1 minute.
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Step 13Chef’s Note: At this point, season with salt and pepper.
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Step 14Chef’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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Step 15Continue to cook and stir for an additional 2 minutes.
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Step 16Add the Parmesan
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Step 17Stir until incorporated, about 1 minute.
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Step 18Chef’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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Step 19Chef’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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Step 20VARIATIONS ON A THEME
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Step 21FOR 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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Step 22A 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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Step 23PASTA: Use the master recipe without variations over most pasta.
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Step 24PASTA VARIATION: Skin, seed, and chop one large plum tomato add a tablespoon of chopped basil, and serve over pasta.
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Step 25Chef’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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Step 26Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
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Step 27If you enjoyed this recipe, and would like to be notified when I post more yummy food, just click here to follow me: https://www.justapinch.com/my/favorites/add/id/747894
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