I immediately think of Giada’s enthusiastic pronunciation of Italian recipes when I think of her. Her voice just rings out as she praises the excellent taste of her fettuccine Alfredo and how good it is.
Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe – Giada De Laurentiis!
Ingredients
18 ounces fresh fettuccine
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
To get access to the preparation instructions for this recipe, please see the video above, or you can view a written copy here!
Honest Review of Giada De Laurentiis’ Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe
The first time I looked at her recipe, I wasn’t so sure if I would like it. When I saw how much heavy cream was used (2 1/2 cups) and how much butter was used (12 tablespoons), I began to balk. I was already sure that the recipe is intended for serving a large crowd, but I did wonder if it was really necessary to use so much dairy in the recipe.
This being said, I was intrigued by the rest of the ingredients that Giada used in her sauce. The lemon zest, nutmeg, and white pepper she used, which I assumed to be a nod to Alfredo’s Roman roots, intrigued me, as I wondered if this Italian-American approach to Alfredo really worked. Moreover, her recipe has been rated 4.5 stars out of six hundred reviews from people who have tried it. I decided to give it a try, and here is what happened.
Between the 1/2 cup of lemon juice and lemon zest, the first flavor that hits your mouth with Giada’s Alfredo is LEMON LEMON LEMON.
I didn’t expect the intensity to be so high at first, but in the end, it’s a great thing. The dairy content of the sauce allows for the acidity to really cut through, making an Alfredo that appears to be lighter even though it is actually quite thick. There is a gradual mellowing of the flavor as you continue to eat.
I have to admit that though the flavor of this dish wasn’t what I was expecting, my family and I found it to be very delicious. Honestly, the nutmeg and white pepper got lost in the sauce. Because the recipe didn’t specify the amount, I don’t know if I used enough or not. I am guessing it’s because I didn’t use enough. While I haven’t cooked many Giada recipes, I know I am going to be a convert to her recipes if all are as good as this.
In addition, it should be noted that this recipe uses a whopping 18 ounces of pasta and is intended for 6 people. In my opinion, since Alfredo sauce is so heavy, you could easily reduce its volume to meet the needs of your family if that is what you need.
Here are a few tips if you are going to make Giada’s Fettuccine Alfredo:
- You are advised to be generous when adding salt, nutmeg, and white pepper to the recipe. In spite of the fact that you do not want to go overboard, remember that there is so much sauce that you can be a little more generous than usual. If you don’t do this, you won’t be able to taste those flavors.
- As much as I loved the lemon flavor in the Alfredo sauce, if you want to make an Alfredo that tastes a bit more traditional, you could use 1/4 cup of lemon juice instead of one full cup and it would still be perfectly fine.