Florida Agenda

Alfredo is a sauce made from cream tossed with Parmesan cheese and butter destined to accompany pasta. As the cheese melts, it emulsifies the liquids to form a smooth and rich coating on the pasta. It was named by an Italian restaurateur at his restaurant Alfredo on the Via della Scrofa in Rome. Of course, it may be mixed with any other ingredients, such as broccoli, parsley, cream, garlic, shrimp, or chicken.

As the story goes, di Lelio’s restaurant became famous when Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks stopped in and fell in love with the dish “Fettuccine al burro” while on their honeymoon in 1927. To express their gratitude, they gave him a golden fork and spoon along with a photo of them eating in his restaurant. He proudly displayed the photo on the wall. Pickford and Fairbanks served his dish to their friends and associates when they returned to Hollywood. Word about the new dish quickly spread.

Alfredo di Lelio retired in 1938 and sold his restaurant. The new owner kept the restaurant’s name, menu, traditional recipes, photos on the wall, and everything else; as of 2011, the restaurant is still in business under the name Alfredo alla Scrofa.

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated
  Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add cream and simmer for five minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in parsley and serve.

Use your preferred Pasta ‘cause “you are the chef!”

Jean Doherty is the Chef and Owner of Le Patio Restaurant in Wilton Manors (954) 530-4641

Jean Doherty

Blue cheese is a general classification of cow’s milk, sheep’s milk or goat’s milk cheeses that have had cultures of the mold Penicillium added so that the final product is spotted or veined throughout with blue, blue-gray or blue-green mold, and carries a distinct smell. Some blue cheeses are injected with spores before the curds form and others have spores mixed in with the curds after they form.

Blue cheeses are typically aged in a temperature-controlled environment such as a cave. In the European Union, many blue cheeses, such as Roquefort (France), Gorgonzola (Italy) and Stilton (England), carry a protected designation of origin, meaning they can bear the name only if they have been made in a particular region in a certain country.

The characteristic flavor of blue cheese tends to be sharp and a bit salty. The smell of this cheese is both due to the mold and types of bacteria encouraged to grow on the cheese.

I think the more stinky the cheese, the more tasty the sauce …

• 8 ounces good blue cheese, crumbled
(I use one from Wisconsin and it’s great,
but you can use any kind)
• 1 -2 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons Brandy or Cognac
• 1 good pinch of fresh ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

Heat the butter in a pan over a medium heat and cook the shallots until they’re lightly colored. Add the flour and stir, then add in the Brandy and slowly whisk in the heavy cream. Add the crumbled blue cheese, whisking constantly. Add the pepper. You are a chef !

Jean Doherty is the Chef and Owner of Le Patio Restaurant in Wilton Manors (954) 530-4641

Make a big batch and freeze in small portions. Remember, you are the chef !