Comments on: Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe

By: Roberta Wennik

Roberta Wennik — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 20:21:29 +0000

Go to Rome and taste what Alfredo really had in mind. Visit the Original Alfredo’s near the Piazza Navonna. I have been to that restaurant at least half a dozen times in my life and never once was there cream in the sauce. Why do Americans have to bastardize the dishes of other countries and call it by the same name? Fettuccine Alfredo floats off the plate with the freshly made noodles, cheese and butter. No cream, thank you.

Many people don’t realize that the dish came about when Alfredo’s wife was pregnant and nothing sat well with her. He created this noodle dish for her. She then told him to put it on the menu it was so good. Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, the stars of stage and screen and a married couple, ate at Alfredo’s and fell in love with his noodle dish. They went to a goldsmith and had a serving spoon and fork made, engraving them with “King of Pasta”. I’ve been blessed when I was a young girl to be presented with that spoon and fork by Alfredo himself to eat those heavenly noodles.

So, go ahead and include cream if you want. Just don’t call it Fettuccine Alfredo. The poor guy would turn over in his grave if he knew what his namesake has become.

By: John

John — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:26:30 +0000

“The traditional Italian Alfredo doesn’t use cream but I think the cream is essential for distributing the cheese.”

By: Bert

Bert — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 07:19:42 +0000

You know that Japan’s main source of umami is konbu, right? You know that konbu is a type of kelp and, thus, can be eaten by vegans, right?

Perhaps you are thinking of dashi, which is a stock that makes use of umami, but is not vegan, as it has katsuoboshi (bonito flakes) in it?

By: Bert

Bert — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:02:05 +0000

Sir, for pointing out what is less obvious than I had initially assumed, I award you eleven internets. Use them with care.

Victoria, I also tend to prefer recipes that list measurements in terms of cups and the like, and Mr. Ruhlman could easily have written the recipe this way, but sometimes that isn’t really too practical (i.e. making candy, stuff like that). Besides, a good-quality kitchen scale is only 25 dollars, and considering how much we spend on other stuff, you might as well buy one. That was probably the point of listing many of the ingredients in this recipe in terms of units of weight.

By: Bert

Bert — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 23:48:55 +0000

What? Seriously, the traditional fettuccine alfredo really does have no cream, and the blog post admits that and gives a reason for the addition of cream in this recipe. As far as I’m concerned, both versions are good.

By: Sophie

Sophie — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:25:18 +0000

A lovely classic recipe. I substitute the cream in soy cream because it contains no cholesterol & it makes the dish a lot lighter!

MMMMMMM,….looks very tasty!!

Many greets from Brussels, Belgium!

By: EdTheRed

EdTheRed — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 18:52:50 +0000

Made this dish last night…I was almost too tired to cook when I remembered this post and realized I had all the ingredients on hand.

Traditional Alfredo or not, it was very easy, and very delicious.

By: Richard Stevens

Richard Stevens — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:32:56 +0000

An Italian friend of mine makes the best Fettuccine Alfredo I’ve ever eaten. It’s rich, creamy and delicious! He uses Fresh Pasta, Cream, Parmesan, and Romano cheese. No measuring, or as our friend David Lebovitz says, he cooks Au Pif.

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:15:46 +0000

Oh, and Michael F – yes, butter is “fatter” than cream, but the difference is, the traditional sauce uses a mere tablespoon or two of butter, just enough to barely coat whatever pasta you have and prevent it from sticking to itself – and note the recipe above includes both that AND a cup of cream on top of it.

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:13:52 +0000

Not an American hater and not a stay at home chef – restaurant chef who’s worked in the US and Italy and Argentina, where I am now. I have no objection to someone making a cream sauce out of this or altering dishes, as Michael did, but it’s no more an “alfredo” than a “beurre blanc” made out of cream is a beurre blanc. Alter away, but at the least, it’s a disservice not to note that the original version of the sauce is not a cream based one.

As to those claiming it isn’t really an Italian dish, as Layla noted above, it is, though it’s actually a dish that was “invented”, or at least popularized, in Rome, rather than in the north – though I’ve seen it in various parts of the country.

By: Lori Lange @ RecipeGirl

Lori Lange @ RecipeGirl — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:03:49 +0000

You know, it’s funny… I never think to make something so simple as an Alfredo Sauce. The nutmeg is key, for sure. I’m headed to Italy on a cheese-tasting trip next month, and one of our stops is Parma. You can bet that I’ll be smuggling some good Parm- Reg home!

By: SunshineGrrrl

SunshineGrrrl — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 04:33:48 +0000

I keep a chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano just for this. We frequently have a bit of leftover cream from things here and there and I can use the leftovers for fettucine alfredo. And is just that easy. A little butter a little cream and some parm and a toss and I’m very happy.

By: Live to Cook at Home

Live to Cook at Home — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 21:28:29 +0000

Is this post sponsored by the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center?

By: Victoria

Victoria — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:13:17 +0000

so say half a stick of butter or 4 TB of butter….you’re still doing the “translating” whereas those measurements are obvious to anyone with a butter wrapper!

By: Rich

Rich — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:46:45 +0000

Umami. A word vegans will never comprehend.

By: kerry

kerry — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 20:19:39 +0000

Weights are more accurate and help ensure more consistent results. I bought a kitchen scale on amazon for under 40 dollars. It is one of the best kitchen investments I ever made. Now if only more American cookbooks would get on board.

By: Chuck

Chuck — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 19:12:55 +0000

They’re not awkward if you have a scale

And 2 oz of butter isn’t awkward anyhow: it’s half a stick.

By: Victoria

Victoria — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:55:06 +0000

Why do you use such awkward measurements in your recipe?

How many cups are in 2 oz’s of parmesan cheese or butter? It is much clearer for me to read 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and 4 TB butter instead of having to use google to do the translation.

By: Judi R

Judi R — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 03:17:09 +0000

I have wanted to make/eat this dish since I saw the picture last week and waited until I bought some fresh, really good quality fettuccine. It is amazing! The only change I made was to add some lemon zest before serving. Really awesome! Thank you!

By: Rhonda

Rhonda — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 03:01:53 +0000

S. Woody:

I think you are fantastic and I agree with everything you have said.

I hope Bruce is doing well and I hope he gets to taste your Fettucine Alfredo.

Remember Chef Keller’s “Law of Diminishing Return” (Gosh, I hope I quoted that correctly!). A few bites is all he will need!