Place a saucepan on the stove and add the butter. Heat on low to start melting.

As soon as a little butter has melted, add the garlic. Saute for about 1-2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant. Take care not to let the butter get too hot. If you start to see bubbles, remove it from the heat and swirl the pan a little to keep it moving. That will help cool it down while still continuing to cook the garlic evenly.

When the garlic is nice and fragrant, add the heavy cream in a slow stream, whisking as you add. Heat the cream on low, bringing just to a simmer. Once you see steam and a few bubbles, remove from heat. The cream should be starting to thicken. If not, swirl a bit to cool and return to low heat. Repeat as necessary until you start to see a bit of thickening.

Remove from heat and add salt, pepper and nutmeg. White pepper is not necessary but it makes a prettier sauce without flecks from black pepper. Fresh nutmeg grated with a microplane is best, but you don't need much. Less is more. A few swipes on the microplane is plenty. While nutmeg is optional, it provides a depth of flavor that really takes the alfredo to the next level. Use dried nutmeg if you don't have a whole nutmeg.

Stir in parmesan cheese until melted and creamy.