Purple and Bleu Alfredo

by PresbyPenguin in Cooking > Pasta

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Purple and Bleu Alfredo

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In my quest to make my mark on the culinary world I had a thunk: how about a purple Alfredo sauce?

...okay, maybe not that grand of an idea but here's how the conversation went in my head:
I like beets.  Weird.  But you know what beets would be good in?  Alfredo sauce, and it would turn it purple.  How fun would that be?

I'm an odd one.  Forgive me.

Before we get started I need to give credit where credit is due.  This really is a modification - albeit serious modification - of this Alfredo recipe that allows me to actually make an Alfredo sauce that doesn't separate: The Greatest and Best Alfredo Recipe in the World.  I have never completely followed it - just not that guy - but if you do follow it, you will have delicious Alfredo sauce every time.  Please give her credit where credit is due.  I just messed around with it and made it crazy; I did not birth it.

Okay, all of that done, we can get to cooking.  Oh, and sorry about the iffy pictures; the only camera I had was my tablet and camera was not on my list of things I cared about when choosing a tablet.

Go Read Her Recipe

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Really kids, this is going to be incomplete in terms of recipe and she describes the process much better than I could.

Again, The Greatest and Best Alfredo Sauce In The World (though she is much more humble in her title...)

Step One: Beets

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We went to the Farmer's Market, that girl that loves me and I, and I decided to buy two bunches of beets for a dollar a piece.  She wondered what I was going to do with them.

This wasn't the idea but you know how plans go.

Pre-Step: Preheat the oven to 350.  I forgot; you shouldn't.

True First Step: Deal with the beets.  Wash them first but do your best not to remove the skin.  I used a sponge and water.  If anyone out there has a better solution, I'm all ears because I was horrible at it.  BUT they got washed.

I grabbed my $1 knife from its home and chopped them up into larger, bite-sized bits and placed them on a pizza pan.  Any baking pan with do - this one happened to be on top, which is why it got used.

Place in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes to start the cooking process.

Step Two: Bad Breath and Heart Attack

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Second Step: Butter and Garlic.  Dawn's recipe calls for garlic powder, which is wonderful, but in a rare turn of events I have actual garlic in my house and no garlic powder.  Out comes the $1 Santoku from Dollar Tree, and a few pounded and chopped cloves of garlic later, we are ready to go.  Just plop that stick of butter and the garlic in there and let it start melting over medium heat.

Step Three: Dairy

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Third Step: Dairy.

I will echo something I have been told hundreds of times:  when added the creme (or milk if you choose), ADD SLOWLY!  Like maybe an ounce or two each pour, stir until as smooth as that amount of liquid will make it, than add a bit more.  I don't have pictures of that part because the tablet was my camera but trust me, go slow or ruin your sauce.

Once all of the liquid is added, add the cheese and stir until it's all smooth and melted.  Also add pepper to taste; I never measure but I think Dawn's idea will serve you fine.  You may also need a bit of salt but I would wait until you have the beets and other veggies in and they have cooked for a while before you decide.

About the bleu cheese.  I was sitting at the grocery story grabbing the Parmesan cheese when the bleu cheese caught my eye.  "I like bleu cheese," I thought to myself.  "I wonder if it will make good Alfredo?"  The answer is yes, IF you like bleu cheese.  If not, it will be gross to you; in that case, use Parmesan.  A fair warning of sorts, I guess.

Step Four: Noodles

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Fourth Step:  Boil noodles.  I can't really tell you how to boil noodles because I don't know what kind of noodles you will be cooking but boil the noodles.  You MAY want to toss this directly before the last step but it isn't quite necessary.  I would, however, do it before the next step, which I didn't and I regretted about ten seconds after completing the next step.

Step Five: Veggies!

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Fifth Step: Add Veggies.  Obviously we have beets.  I happened to have a couple of red bell peppers handy, which both add another veggie to the mix and add some flavor the sauce.  I have also used zucchini and squash in Alfredo with fabulous results.  They work well.

99 times out of 100 I would also add some chopped up chicken breast to the Alfredo for some protein.  Problem was that I got to this point and realized I hadn't cooked said chicken.  Oooops, made a vegetarian dish instead.

This is when the sauce will turn pink/purple/Pepto Bismol.  It's kind of fun to watch, almost like added food coloring to frosting.  See below.

The pictures don't do it justice; it was actually darker than that.  I had to second guess if it was actually what I had put into my pot.  Once I tasted, though, I tasted creme, bleu cheese, and happiness.

Step Six: Serving

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Final Step: Serving.  I have two methods to use for this.  The first is to put noodles on a plate, sauce and stuff on noodles, and try to make look pretty (see first picture).  The second is to dump everything into the drained noodles and stir, making serving easier but uglier (see second picture).  Personally I don't give two craps about presentation so the second is what I most generally do; to each their own.

Thank You.

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Dear Dawn Carter,

I will only know you by your incomplete All Recipes profile and Alfredo Recipe but I feel I owe you a great debt of gratitude.  I impressed my internship supervisor and a group of roommate with your recipe and its simplistic amazing-ness.  For that I thank you. If you ever find this Instructable, I hope you will find is pleasing and understand just how much I enjoyed your recipe.

Thank you so much, and God Bless,
- Robert Brown

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A bit tongue and cheek but I really do love that recipe.  A lot.

(Really, Instructable people, go use her recipe for amazing and EASY Alfredo sauce, and give her credit; I am the mad scientist who messes with things but she makes the good, useful stuff.)