FOOD FOR THOUGHT




UPCOMING EVENTS

The Alfredo Attempt

A good general must also learn from their mistakes in order to succeed in battle once more. That which does not kill us makes us stronger.

Phrases like these are words to live by for a chef. People need to realize everyone is human, mistakes are made, and food doesnt always turn out the way you expect the 1st time. The problem with society today is that it wants to move too fast, or people dont make time to slow down and cook for their loved ones, or even for the health of themselves.

I remember the 1st time I made a steak that was cooked in the oven. It was too dry, no flavor, and over cooked. Did I get frustrated and give up? Nope, I ate it and learned. The next time I shortened the cooking time, and got it right.

Here's another lesson I learned hahaha. Alfredo. A creamy cheese sauce that is very traditional and usually served over pasta with some sort of protein.

To bring you into the Beard a little more, first understand I come up with an idea for a dish. In this case, I wanted to build a simple alfredo recipe so I can work it into other complex dishes. Here was one recipe that I created for alfredo.

2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup grated parm cheese
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Traditionally, you need to melt the butter in a sauce pan on Low heat. Take the pan off heat and add the cream and cheeses, When all cheese has melted, return to heat and add the rest of the ingredients.

OK, so here we go, I know there are some of you out there that looked at that recipe and instantly cringed.. Yep.. the mozzarella. The parm cheese melted beautifully, the mozzarella, not so much. I returned the pan to the heat and cooked it enough to get the mozzarella melted. Problem now was it cooked on the bottom of the pan and burned.

The sauce, served instantly over pasta, had nice flavor, but not so much of the cheese flavor. Storing the alfredo was worse. It solidified into one piece. On reheat, the mozzarella separated completely from the sauce and created a layer of oil. Ick.

Lesson learned? Don't use mozzarella with alfredo. I have 2 other ideas for an alfredo for my next attempt. Either a 4 cheese alfredo, or a straight parm alfredo.

Stay tuned!

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