The Soup Diva

• 8-9 oz. fettuccine noodles (the fresher the better – I use Bertolli)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ½ stick real butter, cubed
• ¾ cup (about 4 oz.) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated or shaved
• Salt, black or white pepper, nutmeg, parsley, plus olive oil

Heat cream with salt, pepper, and garlic powder in small pot over medium heat; when it begins to steam slightly, reduce heat to medium-low and whisk in butter one cube at a time. When butter is melted, remove from heat (do not overheat). Cook noodles in water with a little salt and olive oil until slightly al dente (if the noodles are fresh, this will only take about 3 minutes). Drain and pour into large bowl. Add cheese and toss to incorporate, then pour hot cream mixture over and toss until blended and thickened. Sprinkle with nutmeg and parsley and serve immediately.

Notes:

This dish is very simple in its components, yet I’ve found it’s easy to mess up. The keys to success are: not overcooking the pasta (it needs to be al dente so it can take in some more liquid with the sauce), not overheating the cream, and not heating the cheese with the cream (it gets clumpy). Also, the fresher the ingredients, the better; dried pasta will work, but will not be as good as fresh pasta, and you MUST use real Parmesan, not the stuff in the green canister from the back of your fridge. If you think nutmeg is a strange ingredient to add, just try it once – it really brings out the sweetness in the cream and the nutty saltiness in the cheese!