Garlic cream sauce: dairy-free, egg-free, and startlingly close to the real thing

Alfredo sauce, white wine cream sauce, garlic cream chicken - these are the dishes that feel like comfort, and they all run on dairy and eggs. Both step aside on the elimination phase. This sauce answers the want.

Garlic provides allicin, a sulfur compound with documented antimicrobial and immune-modulating properties. It is most potent when the garlic is crushed or minced and allowed to rest for a few minutes before cooking - the enzyme reaction that produces allicin requires a brief window to complete.

The creaminess comes from coconut milk and white sweet potato, blended until smooth. The garlic - five full cloves, cooked slowly in avocado oil with the onion until they turn soft and sweet - gives this its depth. A bloom of gelatin thickens the finished sauce into something with real body, the kind that coats a spoon and holds against spaghetti squash noodles. Truffle salt is optional but adds a dimension the regular version lacks; any good sea salt works fine without it.

Pour it over spaghetti squash, spoon it over pan-seared chicken, or use it as the base for a casserole. It holds in the refrigerator for five days and reheats gently without breaking.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 cup yellow onion, diced (about 1 small onion)
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk (or coconut cream for a richer sauce)
• 2 cups white sweet potato, peeled and chopped (about 1 medium potato)
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp truffle salt or fine sea salt
• 1 tsp gelatin powder (unflavored, grass-fed if possible)

Note on sweet potato: White sweet potato (boniato or Japanese sweet potato) gives the mildest, most neutral flavor. If using orange sweet potato, the sauce will be slightly sweeter and more golden.

Method

Warm the avocado oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until completely soft and just beginning to caramelize at the edges, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes more until fragrant and soft.

Add the coconut milk and sweet potato to the pan. Bring to a low simmer and cook until the sweet potato is completely tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

While the sauce is still hot, sprinkle the gelatin over the surface and let it sit for 30 seconds to bloom, then stir it in. Transfer everything to a blender. Add the apple cider vinegar and salt. Blend until completely smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Yield: About 2 to 2.5 cups.

How to use it

• Pour over roasted spaghetti squash noodles for an AIP alfredo
• Spoon over pan-seared chicken thighs or breasts
• Use as the base sauce in a chicken and vegetable casserole
• Drizzle over roasted cauliflower steaks
• Stir into a vegetable soup to make it creamy without dairy
• Spoon alongside roasted salmon or white fish

Storage

Refrigerator: up to 5 days in a sealed glass jar. The sauce thickens significantly when chilled. Reheat in a small saucepan over low heat with a splash of broth or water, stirring until smooth and pourable.

*Adapted from autoimmunewellness.com/garlic-cream-sauce/ by Alaena Haber*