Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Gorgonzola Cream Sauce – Now with Cream!

Since we’re heading into rich and creamy sauce season, I thought I’d use a nice hunk of Gorgonzola as an excuse to post a tutorial for a classic “cream sauce.” 

Unlike what’s passed off as the real stuff at casual dining chains, a true cream sauce contains nothing but heavy cream, and is on another level when it comes to taste and texture. A regular diet of cream sauce isn’t recommended, but once in a while, it’s nice to take a break from the old 2%, and the technique is dead simple. Simmer cream in a saucepan until it reduces and thickens slightly, flavor it however, and toss in some hot (hopefully stuffed) pasta. Done and done.

I went with a fairly mild, crumbly Gorgonzola this time, but no matter which you choose, be careful not to “cook” the cheese. You just want to stir it in on low, until it’s almost gone, and then turn off the heat. Otherwise the cheese will “break,” and you’ll have a greasy mess.

Since my mini-ravioli delivery system featured a squash filling, I decided to finish with diced apples and toasted walnuts. It was perfect with the rich sauce, and I recommend it if you’re using a similar pasta. Since the sauce itself is so easy, as in one ingredient easy, you can spend all that extra brainpower thinking of things you can add to it. I hope you give this great sauce technique a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 2 large or 4 smaller portions:
1 cup heavy whipping cream (36% fat)
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne to taste
3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, optional
6 ounces dry mini-ravioli (double to 12-oz if using fresh ravioli or tortellini)
1/2 apple, diced
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts

16 comments:

milkshake said...

walnuts are useful not just as a garnish - when crushed and then finely chopped (not toasted) and simmered into a cream-based sauce they thicken it and add richness of flavor. That is how I like my gorgonzola sauce: rather similar to yours but I would use half-and-half + walnuts combo as a base instead of the heavy cream

Jesse from Detroit said...

These sorts of videos ("a cream sauce is just...") are my favorite! Where can we get a Sauce Boss apron?

Jonet said...

Ist That chop apples left over from the "devil dentures" video that i see?? hahaha..

Jonet said...

Is That chop apples left over from the "devil Dentures" video that crumble on? :)

philogaia said...

No wonder I can't seem to get a cream sauce right. I didn't get the simplicity of it. I think I'm pretty much required to make one of these sauces, apples and walnuts and all but since I no longer eat pasta it'll go over either steamed broccoli and cauliflower or over zucchini noodles. That sauce looks like it would make anything taste good. Okay, perhaps not ice cream.

Unknown said...

Dear Chef John,

Why do you always say "fressshhhhly" when something is either freshly ground, grated, or chopped?

<3
Kris

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lemming said...

Are you glad you got that off your chest...NUTS!? See what I did there?

Chef John said...

Kris,

It's just a silly vocal affectation which helps bond me to the audience.

Mr. Comprooter said...

Hey Chef John,
I tried this last night, and loved it.
I did have a question though. I was eating and and thinking i felt wrong...like i'd forgotten an important step, then i thought "I haven't thrown handfuls of garlic in this like i do everything else!".
I was wondering, do you think simmering a tablespoon or two of garlic in a bit of butter, then adding the creme would cause the sauce to not come together, and leave you with a nice Gorgonzola sauce with some not so nice looking butter floating on top?

I was thinking with a tablespoon or so of butter to just help the garlic chunks brown up, then the cream reducing, it shouldn't cause much of an issue, but i imagine you're much more knowledgeable of such events.
Thanks for all the great recipes. Haven't stumbled on one yet that i didn't enjoy.

Mr. Comprooter said...

Hey Chef John,
I tried this last night, and loved it.
I did have a question though. I was eating and and thinking i felt wrong...like i'd forgotten an important step, then i thought "I haven't thrown handfuls of garlic in this like i do everything else!".
I was wondering, do you think simmering a tablespoon or two of garlic in a bit of butter, then adding the creme would cause the sauce to not come together, and leave you with a nice Gorgonzola sauce with some not so nice looking butter floating on top?

I was thinking with a tablespoon or so of butter to just help the garlic chunks brown up, then the cream reducing, it shouldn't cause much of an issue, but i imagine you're much more knowledgeable of such events.
Thanks for all the great recipes. Haven't stumbled on one yet that i didn't enjoy.

Mr. Comprooter said...

Hey Chef John,
I tried this last night, and loved it.
I did have a question though. I was eating and and thinking i felt wrong...like i'd forgotten an important step, then i thought "I haven't thrown handfuls of garlic in this like i do everything else!".
I was wondering, do you think simmering a tablespoon or two of garlic in a bit of butter, then adding the creme would cause the sauce to not come together, and leave you with a nice Gorgonzola sauce with some not so nice looking butter floating on top?

I was thinking with a tablespoon or so of butter to just help the garlic chunks brown up, then the cream reducing, it shouldn't cause much of an issue, but i imagine you're much more knowledgeable of such events.
Thanks for all the great recipes. Haven't stumbled on one yet that i didn't enjoy.

Anonymous said...

This looks so amazing! I can try this recipe in Thanksgiving :)

Mr. Comprooter said...

Annnd, sorry that posted 3000 times...

Jacklyn Cornwell said...

You mentioned autumning up the dish. I'd add some pomegranate seeds to complement the apples you used. Pomegranates are very autumn-y and tasty too.

Rachel921 said...

Are there any other cheeses that would be good? I'm not a fan of SUPER stinky cheese. Mildly stinky could be okay.