Gorgonzola Sauce

THE ONLY COMPLICATION attendant on this sauce is finding the right gorgonzola. If you have a good, conscientious cheese dealer, ask to be notified when a fresh wheel of gorgonzola arrives from Italy. Once cut, the cheese does not improve, it becomes dry, crumbly, and yellowish. When it is at its peak, it is a warm white color, creamily soft and even runny. Do not use gorgonzola straight out of the refrigerator, because the cold stunts its flavor and aroma. If you are going to use it the same day you’ve bought it, do not refrigerate it at all. If you have had it a day or two, take it out of the refrigerator at least 6 hours before using it. Although it is excellent over such factory-made pasta shapes as rigatoni and penne, gorgonzola sauce is at its best with homemade pasta fettuccine, or garganelli, and with Potato Gnocchi.

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Step 1

1. Choose flameproof serving ware that can subsequently accommodate all the pasta. Put in the gorgonzola, milk, butter, and one or two pinches of salt, and turn on the heat to low. Stir with a wooden spoon, mashing the cheese with the back of the spoon and, as it begins to dissolve, incorporating it with the milk and butter. Cook for a minute or two until the sauce has a dense, creamy consistency. Take off the heat until the moment you are nearly ready to drain the pasta. Bear in mind that if you are using freshly made pasta, it will cook in just a few seconds and the sauce needs to be reheated for about 1 minute.

Step 2

2. Shortly before the pasta is cooked, add the heavy cream to the sauce and stir over medium-low heat until it is partly reduced. Add the cooked drained pasta (if you are doing gnocchi, add sauce to the gnocchi as each batch is retrieved from the pot and transferred to a warm platter), and toss with the sauce. Add the â…“ cup grated Parmesan and toss thoroughly to melt it. Serve immediately, directly from the pan, with additional grated cheese on the side.

Step 3

Although it is excellent over such factory-made pasta shapes as rigatoni and penne, gorgonzola sauce is at its best with homemade pasta—fettuccine, or garganelli, and with Potato Gnocchi.