A super flavorful sauce with bold flavors, perfect for pasta with savory pastas.
STORY TIME: A MASTERPIECE ITALIAN CHEESE SAUCE
There is one legendary Italian cheese sauce that I still think of to this day. It was made by chefs from Il Pellicano in Tuscany, Italy that were visiting us at Del Posto in NYC as guest chefs, and we had the honor of helping to prepare the dinner that was to be served. The dish that came off the pasta line was a delectable veal filled tortelli, but it was the sauce that was the showstopper. The base of the sauce was heavy cream that came from a local dairy, so it was unbelievably fresh and grassy. It also had at least 15 types of cheese, ranging in age, made with milk from cows, sheep, and goats.
The cream was barely warmed because to heat it any more “would destroy the essence of the field”. The cheeses were slowly added over hours of time, each in a sequence for reasons I could only guess at, and only added when the other had submerged into the melty cream. It was described as a living thing: “a sauce that only exists in this moment”. Such fresh and unique flavors playing together in harmony was what made this sauce truly special.
TIPS & TRICKS
Now the recipe below for Parmesan Cream is not what I just described - how could it be? This recipe will yield a tasty sauce, but it’s more of a simplified open template than it is a rule. Here are a few tips in making your own masterpiece:
- Mix up the cheeses, but keep the amount proportional to the recipe.
- Try Pecorino Fiori Sardo, Grana Padano, fresh goat cheese; they all blend well and add a ton of dynamic flavor.
- If you want it “saucier” don't reduce the cream quite as much.
- By not reducing it as much you can add more cheese...because cheese is good.
- Temperature is always a thing with cheese based sauces. There is one guideline that I try to adhere to: let the heat of the pan + sauce/base melt the cheese and avoid reheating the pan (putting it back onto the burner).
- That doesn't mean you can't keep it in a warm spot on the stove once it’s made, just no new heat.
RECIPE FOR PARMESAN CREAM SAUCE
Yield: 8 to 10 ounces of finished sauce.
Prep time: 5 minutes.
Cook time: 25 minutes.
POTS, PANS AND UTENSILS
- Small / medium saucepan
- Small whisk
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups of heavy cream
- 2 to 3 ounces parmesan rind
- 1/2 cup Parmigiana Reggiano, grated
- Kosher salt
MAKE THE PARMESAN CREAM
In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream and parmesan rind and set over low heat.
Bring to a heat that’s almost a simmer but not really, and slowly reduce by about a third to half, stirring every once in a while to make sure the rind doesn’t stick and the cream doesn’t burn.
When the cream is reduced, turn off the heat, remove the rind, whisk in half of the parmesan.
The sauce should have a thick but pourable consistency, you can control that by how much parmesan is added- if the sauce is still a little loose, add more parmesan. If it's just right go ahead and taste and add a pinch of salt to taste. I love to add a little black pepper too, but white pepper is fine if you prefer.
Cover and set aside in a warm place. If you making this in advance, put it into a jar and store in the fridge, just be aware that the sauce may get clumpy when you reheat it, so just use it in a baked pasta and it'll be fine.
SUBSTITUTIONS & ALTERNATIVES
CHEESE: Get creative but choose cheeses that can melt well, like fontina, goat cheese. The idea here is to blend the cheeses for a dynamic flavor.
VEGETARIAN: It's a vegetarian recipe, yayy!
VEGAN: Can't really make a vegan alternative with this one.
SERVING SIZE: Just follow the ratios, but you need enough in the pan to make the sauce if you're wanting less of the sauce.