Alfredo Sauce

I had a friend in college who often said that a person or restaurant should never buy canned pasta sauce because it is so simple to make quality sauce from scratch.  He often said this while complaining about the quality of the pasta the dining hall was serving.  I have taken his message to heart and do my best to create my own sauces.  I actually think one of the reasons LJ fell for me was because of my ability to make a delicious alfredo.  She is a sucker for chicken fettuccine.

We received 2 heads of soft-neck garlic in a recent CSA box.  I selected three large cloves, removed their skins, and chopped them up.

I cooked the garlic in olive oil for about five minutes over medium heat until it was just starting to get some color.

I then added flour to the pan to create a roux.  I let the the flour cook over medium low heat for another five minutes.

When the roux was ready I added a pad of butter and then poured in the cream (or half and half) until the sauce came together.  At this stage you want it on the runny side.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Now sprinkle in shredded parmesan cheese in a little bit at a time.  Stir in the cheese until it melts and add more until it is the consistency you are looking for.  If you need to thin it you can add more cream.

That is all there is to making the sauce.  You can serve it with whatever pasta you have.  This batch went over some fresh ravioli.