Best Fettuccini Alfredo Ever

Last week, my very talented niece, Mia B. prepared what was for me The Best Fettuccini Alfredo Ever!

For years, Mia enjoyed dancing ballet but about a year ago, she decided she was more interested in cooking so she took Culinary Arts as a school elective. Her teachers are professional chefs in the industry.  They teach them right and start them young so Mia really knows her stuff.  She even explained to me a couple of things about chef uniforms.  The double breasted jacket can be reversed to hide stains. The jacket protects the chef from the stove/oven's intense heat and from splattering oil and boiling liquids.  Cleanliness in the kitchen is important to chefs so most jackets are white to symbolize cleanliness.  There is also a pocket on the left shoulder to accommodate a chef's personal tasting spoon.

At home, Mia enjoys cooking for special events.  Everyone still talks about Mia's scrumptious Creamy Three Mushroom Soup and Ginger Snap Banoffe Pie.  Mia loves making pasta and desserts.  She was so excited to tell me that her team won a cake decorating contest in school! 

When I was visiting, Mia created an unforgettable Fettuccini Alfredo.  What makes her recipe so unique is the finely minced shallots in the sauce and the use of Edam cheese because we did not have Parmigiano-Reggiano on hand.  Who'd ever think Edam cheese would result in such an amazing Alfredo sauce!  It's creaminess was punctuated by the delightfully sharp flavor of bits of partly melted cheese.  

This weekend Mia and her classmates will be demonstrating Churros at the school fair.  Unfortunately, I won't be around but maybe my sister can take some pictures for me to post with her recipe. 

Meantime, enjoy the Best Fettuccini Alfredo Ever brought to you by Mia:

1 lb. dried fettuccini noodles
6 Tbsp butter
2 shallots, finely minced
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Edam cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground white pepper
fresh parsley (optional but so refreshing if added)

Cook the fettuccini noodles in a pot of rapidly boiling salted water until pasta is al dente. Drain noodles, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

While the pasta is cooking, melt butter in a medium saucepan/ wok over medium-high heat.  Add shallots and saute until tender.  Add heavy cream and bring to a boil.  Cook sauce for about 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Remove sauce from the heat.

Return the pasta to the pot in which it was cooked.  Set over medium-high heat along with the reserved cooking liquid.  Add the Alfredo sauce and half of the cheese then toss to combine thoroughly.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese and garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

 
Enjoy!