Pasta with Simple Cream Sauce

- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano, grated
- Freshly ground white pepper to taste (see Note)
- 1 pound fresh or 12 ounces dried pasta, cooked and drained
Instructions:
Along with the Marinara Sauce, Cream Sauce is the other pasta topper that can be varied endlessly; it is the basis for Pasta Alfredo and a host of other dishes.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat.
- Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter, wait for 5 seconds, then whisk until smooth. Do not brown the flour, but do let it cook about 15 seconds, whisking all the while, just so it loses its raw taste.
- Whisk in the milk in a slow, steady stream. Whisking all the while, let the mixture come to a simmer and cook slowly for 1 minute. (Be careful: the sauce can clump if you’re not paying close attention. If it does, you’ll have to start over.)
- Whisk in the cream. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce bubbles.
- Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cheese until it melts. Season with pepper, add the pasta, and toss.
- Note: White pepper is for aesthetics. If you use black pepper, you’ll simply have dark specks in the sauce.
- Pasta Recommendations
- Fresh: fettuccine, tagliatelle, pappardelle
- Dried: any round noodle