Tomorrow night I am having a pro chef over for dinner. I have never cooked for him before. My husband and I decided we will be making chicken fettuccine alfredo. Do you have any tips on making this dinner suitable for a professional chef with an incredible palate? Seasonings, tricks for the sauce, anything really? Thank you
Cooking for a chef, Fettuccine Alfredo?
- Thread starter Baby Mama
- Start date
K
kgilfilen
Guest
First, if you make the food with love, that will be enough. You don't need to try to impress the chef. Make it a comfortable atmosphere where good friends will be happy to hang out.
Also, you may want to ask him to watch you make the sauce, saying you've never done a cream sauce like this before.
If you can, it will be better to not use canned sauce.
So here is the technique for a basic cream sauce for pasta.
lightly sautee garlic and shallots in good olive oil (extra virgin/first-pressed)
add some home made chicken broth (low or no salt) if you have it, otherwise, add white wine. Reduce.
add heavy cream or whipping cream and reduce. Add bits of chicken (i like it grilled with a good sear) and pre-cooked broccoli. Optional: fresh raw mushrooms, the more expensive, the better. Wash 'em, and if they are expensive, you might have to remove the stems. I.e, shittake's have a tough stem.
Reduce the cream some more, and ask the chef if it's reduced enough.
Add pasta, return to boil
throw in some fresh herbs, like basil, thyme, a bit of rosemary, sage, whatever you have.
Finally, throw in some grated dry cheese, like parmesan or romano.
If you have good tongs, separate the pasta into clumps, and roll it into balls (for each plate) and serve it like that on the plates, then spoon the remaining sauce, etc, around the ball on the plates.
Finally, sprinkle more cheese, fresh-ground black pepper on top, and if you have it, garnish each plate with a sprig of the fresh herbs, like basil flower tops.
If you can also do it, try to brown some baguette bread with butter in a separate pan. Slice the bread diagonally, put a small hunk of butter under it in a pan on medium heat. Turn over with another small humk of butter to brown the other side.
Serve with the pasta.
This is NOT a low cal meal.
Also, you may want to ask him to watch you make the sauce, saying you've never done a cream sauce like this before.
If you can, it will be better to not use canned sauce.
So here is the technique for a basic cream sauce for pasta.
lightly sautee garlic and shallots in good olive oil (extra virgin/first-pressed)
add some home made chicken broth (low or no salt) if you have it, otherwise, add white wine. Reduce.
add heavy cream or whipping cream and reduce. Add bits of chicken (i like it grilled with a good sear) and pre-cooked broccoli. Optional: fresh raw mushrooms, the more expensive, the better. Wash 'em, and if they are expensive, you might have to remove the stems. I.e, shittake's have a tough stem.
Reduce the cream some more, and ask the chef if it's reduced enough.
Add pasta, return to boil
throw in some fresh herbs, like basil, thyme, a bit of rosemary, sage, whatever you have.
Finally, throw in some grated dry cheese, like parmesan or romano.
If you have good tongs, separate the pasta into clumps, and roll it into balls (for each plate) and serve it like that on the plates, then spoon the remaining sauce, etc, around the ball on the plates.
Finally, sprinkle more cheese, fresh-ground black pepper on top, and if you have it, garnish each plate with a sprig of the fresh herbs, like basil flower tops.
If you can also do it, try to brown some baguette bread with butter in a separate pan. Slice the bread diagonally, put a small hunk of butter under it in a pan on medium heat. Turn over with another small humk of butter to brown the other side.
Serve with the pasta.
This is NOT a low cal meal.
Mountian_Baby
New member
Don't let yourself get all panicky just becuase he is a trained chef. He needs to eat just like you, and I'm sure he will just be happy to eat a nice home cooked meal that he doesn;t have to make.
Sometimes a chef is pushed to far for new and exciting etc... that just a simple meal is the best.
My fave alfredos have been ones with grilled chicken or shrimp. The smoeky flavor is just soooo good.
I liek shrimp and baby scallops, the tiny ones that are maybe just a but bigger than the mini marshemllows.
Serve it with a nice green veggie. The heavy ness of the pasta and sauce will be cut nicley by a green veggie. Broccoli is the most common but grean beans, spinach, or even asparagus would be great as well.
I think I would go with asparagus, that just sounds good.
****
There is no pepper in alfredo sauce.
I must say againl that if a chef looks down on you becuase even though you tried to make them a nice meal and it "didn't measure up" never have them over again. That just shows a small person.
***Also here is the Alfredo recipe I use-it is a copy cat of Olive gardens that I adapted.
Alfredo Sauce:
3 tbsp butter
8 fluid oz heavy whipping cream
Heaping ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Heaping ¼ cup grated ramano cheese
1 egg yolk with a pinch of salt slightly beaten
3 tbsp sour cream
2 good dashes ground nutmeg
2 good dashes garlic parmesan popcorn flavoring
Salt to taste
2-3 tbsp grated parmesan for garnish
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add heavy cream, stirring constantly. Stir in salt, nutmeg, and popcorn seasoning, grated Parmesan cheese, and grated Romano cheese. Stir constantly until melted, then temper the egg yolk, and add to the sauce. Simmer over medium low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with additional grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Sometimes a chef is pushed to far for new and exciting etc... that just a simple meal is the best.
My fave alfredos have been ones with grilled chicken or shrimp. The smoeky flavor is just soooo good.
I liek shrimp and baby scallops, the tiny ones that are maybe just a but bigger than the mini marshemllows.
Serve it with a nice green veggie. The heavy ness of the pasta and sauce will be cut nicley by a green veggie. Broccoli is the most common but grean beans, spinach, or even asparagus would be great as well.
I think I would go with asparagus, that just sounds good.
****
There is no pepper in alfredo sauce.
I must say againl that if a chef looks down on you becuase even though you tried to make them a nice meal and it "didn't measure up" never have them over again. That just shows a small person.
***Also here is the Alfredo recipe I use-it is a copy cat of Olive gardens that I adapted.
Alfredo Sauce:
3 tbsp butter
8 fluid oz heavy whipping cream
Heaping ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Heaping ¼ cup grated ramano cheese
1 egg yolk with a pinch of salt slightly beaten
3 tbsp sour cream
2 good dashes ground nutmeg
2 good dashes garlic parmesan popcorn flavoring
Salt to taste
2-3 tbsp grated parmesan for garnish
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add heavy cream, stirring constantly. Stir in salt, nutmeg, and popcorn seasoning, grated Parmesan cheese, and grated Romano cheese. Stir constantly until melted, then temper the egg yolk, and add to the sauce. Simmer over medium low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with additional grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
I don't really have any tips, per se. I just add a lot of garlic to mine, because that is how I like it. If you want to do a more traditional fettuccine alfredo, it is just going to be heavy cream, butter, and parmesan. In most restaurants, it tastes like they are using a bechamel sauce instead of the more traditional sauce, probably because it is cheaper. If you are using a bechamel sauce, I would suggest not being stingy on the garlic, and using lots of parmesan, you don't want to taste the flour, or have it taste like gravy.
T
TKO>>>RKO
Guest
you should try making it tonight and what you don't like you can change for tomorrow
you are going to have a hard time chefs really know there food believe me i am a chef and chefs are every picky about food,a chef can tell if you get your alfredo sauces out of a jar so try to make you own.and make the plate look good people eat with there eyes first so make the plate look good don't just thought food on a plate, put it on a plate in a nice big pill and chop some herbs on top,( fresh herbs) and good luck, and more ? just ask i will try to help