Mac 'n Cheese as it should be.
Feb. 7th, 2021 03:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
agoodwinsmithSo, my Mom is a really good cook, so this means that it's difficult to make her a meal that she can't make for herself faster and better. However - she reeeeeally likes Macaroni and Cheese baked in the oven, and I made an especially good one a few days ago.
I measure by eye, which means that we had fewer noodles than we had sauce, but we poured all the sauce over them anyway, and it baked up beautifully - but it did mean that as moisture went into the noodles, some of the oil (lots of cheese) seeped out, so next time I would make a roux with more flour (it should be equal parts butter and flour by weight).
Grate your cheeses before starting, and be liberal in your choices and amounts. We used old cheddar, medium cheddar, edam, parmesan, and some of MacLaren's Imperial Sharp Cheddar extruded cheese product in a tub (mmm) (https://cornershopapp.com/en-ca/products/ay96-maclaren-imperial-maclarens-imperial-sharp-cheddar-cheese-f0-longos).
So, while making your sauce, cook your favourite macaroni-style (Mom likes cavatappi) noodles in well-salted water until just al dente. They are going to bake in a sauce in the oven, so they are going to get more tender. Drain and reserve.
Sauce
Melt butter in a pot over low heat, add flour and cook while stirring until it starts to toast, add water and then whipping cream[1], stirring well after each addition. Continue to stir and add liquid until desired consistency - I like that it coats the back of the spoon, but still runs off.
Flavour as you go. I added Dijon mustard, proper yellow French's mustard, Worchestershire sauce, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
ADD THE CHEESE. Add in handfuls and melt as you go. The imperial cheese is more of a spoon and blob, and it takes a little while to melt completely. Once all the cheese has melted, taste and adjust seasoning - I added white wine. Mmmmm.
Pour noodles into an oven-proof casserole dish, add sauce and mix throughly so every last surface of every last noodle is covered. Smooth top. I like to add crumbled saltine crackers and a few daubs of butter; this time we used just dry bread crumbs (I still like a saltine crust).
Baked at 350 F for 45 minutes to an hour. (Once it is hot and bubbly, it will keep for a while before burning.)
We ate it with a red Italian merlot. Oh so good.
This really is a clean-out-the-fridge recipe - any crusty old cheese will do, and the white wine was left over from Christmas. I guess it really is an impatient fondue.
[1] - I am lactose intolerant, so whipping cream is more fat than lactose, so using half water and half whipping cream is how I get creamy without dispair.
I measure by eye, which means that we had fewer noodles than we had sauce, but we poured all the sauce over them anyway, and it baked up beautifully - but it did mean that as moisture went into the noodles, some of the oil (lots of cheese) seeped out, so next time I would make a roux with more flour (it should be equal parts butter and flour by weight).
Grate your cheeses before starting, and be liberal in your choices and amounts. We used old cheddar, medium cheddar, edam, parmesan, and some of MacLaren's Imperial Sharp Cheddar extruded cheese product in a tub (mmm) (https://cornershopapp.com/en-ca/products/ay96-maclaren-imperial-maclarens-imperial-sharp-cheddar-cheese-f0-longos).
So, while making your sauce, cook your favourite macaroni-style (Mom likes cavatappi) noodles in well-salted water until just al dente. They are going to bake in a sauce in the oven, so they are going to get more tender. Drain and reserve.
Sauce
Melt butter in a pot over low heat, add flour and cook while stirring until it starts to toast, add water and then whipping cream[1], stirring well after each addition. Continue to stir and add liquid until desired consistency - I like that it coats the back of the spoon, but still runs off.
Flavour as you go. I added Dijon mustard, proper yellow French's mustard, Worchestershire sauce, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
ADD THE CHEESE. Add in handfuls and melt as you go. The imperial cheese is more of a spoon and blob, and it takes a little while to melt completely. Once all the cheese has melted, taste and adjust seasoning - I added white wine. Mmmmm.
Pour noodles into an oven-proof casserole dish, add sauce and mix throughly so every last surface of every last noodle is covered. Smooth top. I like to add crumbled saltine crackers and a few daubs of butter; this time we used just dry bread crumbs (I still like a saltine crust).
Baked at 350 F for 45 minutes to an hour. (Once it is hot and bubbly, it will keep for a while before burning.)
We ate it with a red Italian merlot. Oh so good.
This really is a clean-out-the-fridge recipe - any crusty old cheese will do, and the white wine was left over from Christmas. I guess it really is an impatient fondue.
[1] - I am lactose intolerant, so whipping cream is more fat than lactose, so using half water and half whipping cream is how I get creamy without dispair.
