As they say down here in the South, "I love me some food". Although it must be known that I don't actually like Southern food. But what I do love is pasta, lots and lots of pasta. I unfortunately don't get to eat pasta much due to the fact that is really fattening. So on the days that I treat myself to a sinfully high in calorie meal I usually choose pasta.
My sauce of choice happens to be Alfredo. Now if you've never tried Alfredo sauce you're really missing out. And I'm not talking about the sauce you buy in the jar. Sauce in a jar doesn't count. Alfredo is rich and creamy and perfect with just about any kind of pasta. The thing is people assume that because of the rich taste it must be expensive or difficult to make. I'll tell you the truth it's neither. It's easy and depending on the brand of ingredients you use it shouldn't be very expensive. I personally mostly use Kraft products.
Ingredients:
You only need a few ingredients to make this amazing sauce, three to be exact. You will need butter, heavy whipping cream, and grated/shredded Parmesan cheese. Now you have to use real butter and you're going to use the entire stick. I use Land O' Lakes salted butter it seems to have the best taste. On a side note you cannot use margarine for two reasons 1) it changes the taste and 2) the consistency will be all wrong. Remember you are not trying to save calories with this meal. Enjoy it for all its worth.
Secondly you need heavy whipping cream. This type of cream is sudo-thick and very rich. It is usually used in dessert cooking. I use an entire pint when making Alfredo sauce. Thirdly, you need grated/shredded Parmesan cheese. I prefer to buy the Kraft brand that is already grated for you. You will find it in the cheese isle of your local supermarket. I do not recommend using the Kraft Parmesan cheese that comes in the green container, the one that doesn't have to be refrigerated. It will work in a pinch but once again the taste is not quite the same.
Putting it all together:
In a medium saucepan melt the butter on medium heat. Once it is completely melted add the pint of heavy whipping cream. Now is the time to start adding your Parmesan cheese. There really isn't a set measurement for the cheese. I add it by taste. You will need at least a cup and a half or more. I use about ¾ of the container of Kraft Shredded Parmesan cheese. Add the cheese a little at a time. Stir continuously until the cheese melts. It is important not to let your sauce boil over. It obviously won't ruin the sauce but it is a pain in the rear to clean off your stove top. Taste your sauce if you need more cheese add more.
Once everything is melted (it's okay if there are a few lumps, but you don't want to many) pour sauce over your favorite pasta (I find a cheese tortellini to be the best choice) and serve with garlic bread. This meal has a gazillion calories but one taste will let you know it's all worth it.
