We all love a good white sauce don't we? At least I love it a lot more than the Arrabbiata sauce be it in my pasta or pizza. White sauce or Classic Alfredo sauce is a simple but elegant creamy, white sauce that is commonly known to go with pasta. Actually I made this white sauce primarily for making a pasta preparation. But then once I casually used the same to make my pizza and was blown over by the taste and creaminess it imparted to the pizza.
So why do we want to make the white sauce from scratch when we already get ready made white sauce mixtures which are much more convenient. I hear you, but would you believe if I say this cheese sauce is much more irresistible, creamy, garlicky and above all gets made in a jiffy. Yes even quicker than the time it takes for the mixture to form a slurry and get cooked. Plus you can always alter the consistency as per your liking with this homemade variant.
This medium-thick white sauce originated from Italy which is usually made of butter, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. It can be easily customized with the flavor of your choice like garlic, pepper or any other seasoning. The foolproof way to attain a perfectly smooth sauce is to have the milk hot when added to the butter and flour. You might take a couple of tries to get to the right consistency but in case you end up with a thicker sauce (because we are not French, so mistakes are normal) use it for your pizza and you will never know the difference. This batch I made intentionally thick as I wanted to use it for my Alfredo pizza.
How to make a thicker sauce
1. Add Roux: Add in an equal amount of butter and flour (about 1 teaspoon) to a pan, and mix well over low heat. Let it cook for about a minute. Next, add the mixture to the sauce and stir continuously until it simmers to the desired consistency.
2. Add Cream Cheese: Add cream cheese on low medium heat to the sauce and keep stirring it until it thickens and takes a creamy texture.
Ways to use Alfredo Sauce
1. Pasta : Any kind of pasta goes beautifully with this sauce
2. Pizza : Alfredo Pizza is my new favorite and I can not stop gushing about it. Will post the recipe soon
3. Dips : Have it with your bread sticks or nachos too. If you want you can also dip in your salted biscuits and have it. It just works!
4. Casserole: Any kind of casserole dishes work well with this sauce. It can be a creamy chicken or prawn or just vegetable - all of it works fine.
Storing Tips:
Can you store this sauce? yes absolutely! You need to make sure the sauce is completely cooled and then transfer it to an airtight jar, preferably glass jar and refrigerate it for about 2 weeks at max. Do not freeze the sauce as separation might take place.
How to heat up the sauce
The key is going slow. Keep stirring on low temperature. If it starts to separate, slowly stir it back together over low heat on the stove top. It is best not to microwave this sauce. It will separate quickly in there. How ever I have seen that for pizza, you really do not need to heat the sauce up before using. Simply smother the pizza base with the sauce right out of the refrigerator or maybe better if you thaw the required amount for about 10 minutes and then bake the pizza. It will taste all the same.
Preparation Time : 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Serving : 6 people (makes 1 and 1/2 cup) - enough for 3 medium (10") pizza
Ingredients :
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tbsp
- All Purpose Flour / Maida - 2 tbsp
- Whole Milk - 3/4th Cup
- Heavy Cream - 3/4th Cup
- Salt - 1/4 tsp
- Black pepper - 1/8th tsp (ground)
- Garlic Cloves - 2 (grated or coarsely ground)
- Garlic Powder (Optional) - 1/4 tsp
- Parmesan cheese - 1/2 cup (shredded)
- Italian Seasoning - 1/2 tsp
Method:
1. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat
2. Whisk in flour and continue whisking for 30 seconds . Take care that it doesn't brown.
Note: The butter and flour serve to thicken the sauce and create a rich Alfredo sauce.
3. Whisk in the garlic for about 30 more seconds till a little golden.
4. Add the garlic powder, salt, Italian seasoning and pepper and whisk in
5. Slowly add the cream and milk (room temperature), whisking constantly until smooth thickened and bubbly.
6. Add the Parmesan cheese and whisk it for about 20 seconds. Remove the saucepan from the heat and keep whisking till the cheese is completely melted and the sauce has taken a smooth texture.
Now toss it with your favorite pasta or let it cool and then add it to the pizza base and enjoy.
Do try this out and tag me (@curriesnstories07) on Instagram on your photos whenever you try the recipe and I will give a shout out to you.
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