Creamy cheese pasta dish
- Carbohydrate 9.78449854986222 g
- Cholesterol 51.8160156568684 mg
- Fat 18.7223741261034 g
- Fiber 0.190157533793546 g
- Protein 6.98670924883578 g
- Saturated Fat 11.5312639711261 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (211g)
- Sodium 299.189679511867 mg
- Sugar 9.59434101606867 g
- Trans Fat 1.48878479926077 g
- Calories 233 calories
Step-by-step
- Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water.
- Meanwhile, melt butter or margarine in a saucepan. Stir in flour. Whisk in milk, garlic, and hot sauce; stir until thickened. Stir in cheese.
- Drain pasta. Serve sauce over noodles.
Standard ingredient lists provide exact measurements for butter, flour, and milk, but they remain completely silent on the thermal dynamics required to build a smooth cream sauce. Making a roux-based cheese sauce demands a heavy-bottomed saucepan to distribute heat evenly and prevent the dairy from scorching at the edges. Thin aluminum pans create hot spots that will quickly turn milk bitter and break the emulsion before the Parmesan even hits the pan. Using a whisk with coated wires prevents scratching while allowing constant agitation of the flour and butter mixture.
Cooking the dry fettuccine requires a wide stockpot filled with at least four quarts of aggressively salted water to maintain a rolling boil when the pasta is added. Stir the strands during the first sixty seconds to keep them from adhering to the bottom or clumping together in the absence of oil. Boiling pasta rapidly guarantees uniform starch release, which helps bind the sauce to the noodles later. Reserve a half-cup of the starchy cooking water before draining the pot, as this liquid contains starches that loosen a stiff sauce without diluting its richness.
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese melts vastly differently than the pre-shredded variety packaged with anti-caking cellulose powders. Grating a block on a microplane produces fine filaments that dissolve instantly into the warm liquid, whereas pre-bagged flakes often retain a grainy texture. Incorporating the cheese off the heat prevents the proteins from seizing into rubbery lumps. Whisking continuously while dusting the cheese in small batches ensures a completely homogeneous texture throughout the sauce.
Controlling the viscosity of the finished dish relies heavily on timing the final combination of pasta and sauce. Tossing the hot drained noodles directly into the saucepan allows the starch on the exterior of the pasta to absorb the dairy fats. Serve the meal immediately on pre-warmed plates because cooling causes the butter and cheese solids to separate rapidly. Reheating leftovers is generally discouraged since dairy sauces tend to break when subjected to high secondary heat sources.
