mac'n Cheese, What Ya Got?

[Tippster]

50/50 Gruyere & Gouda. If you like it really tangy use buttermilk.

[bagtagley]

^^ Heavy cream = fuck yes.

[Pura Vida]

^^ Heavy cream = fuck yes.

Crème fraîche > Heavy Cream? No curdling and a slight tang. I almost always use it over heavy cream in pasta dishes.

[wandering, not lost]

I haven't tried it personally but I found this recipe in the Dinosaur BBQ Cookbook I was looking through the other day. It's for their Macaroni and Cheese Shepherd's Pie. "Mutha Sauce" is synonymous with their Sensuous Slathering Sauce.

http://cookbookmom.wordpress.com/200...shepherds-pie/

[PNWbrit]

real chedder, roasted cherry tomatoes and bacon

[BeanDip4All]

I made the world's most complex mac and cheese as part of a dinner party before halloween. what a pain in the ass. but it did come out great! so if you're looking to impress, this is a good one:

Here is the recipe in all its arduous glory. Seems so simple, right? It's macaroni and freaking cheese, for Pete's sake!!

The Mac & Cheese Recipe that Will Break Your Soul... aka: Goat Cheese Mac & Cheese, stuffed in Artichokes:

Step 1: prep, cut and clean 9 artichokes



These suckers are ready for the pot


Step 2: Simmer artichokes in a mixture of white wine, water, garlic, lemon juice, coriander (yum!- one of my favorite spices, needs to be used more often), bay leaves, peppercorns, and AN ENTIRE FREAKING CUP OF OLIVE OIL.


Step 3: cook artichokes in mixture for about an hour or until soft. since they keep floating to the top of the solution, use baster to continually soak their insides and smoosh them down to the bottom of the pot


after simmering for about half an hour, the apartment smelled SO GOOD

Step 4: while artichokes are cooking, prepare bread crumbs. this is a major pain in and of itself, involving blending up a loaf of bread, then toasting breadcrumbs in a pan of olive oil. once these are done being toasted, let them cool and then add zest of three lemons, blended up fresh parsley, ground pink peppercorns, salt and parm cheese

i used a leftover marble rye loaf


Step 5: meanwhile, you gotta make some mac and cheese to stuff in the artichokes. get out your goat cheese! (btw- the midnight moon goat cheese was AWESOME, would totally recommend that for just plain noshing)


Step 6: An hour later your artichokes are done cooking. Take them out, let them cool, put em in a pan. Then you have to remove the hearts and saute them SEPARATELY in another pan for another 5-10 minutes while doctoring them up with all kind of spices. Meanwhile, you're supposed to take three of the other cooked artichokes and blend them up in a blender and add some different spices. I didn't (and still don't) really get this part, because the recipe at this point stops differentiating between the sauteed hearts and blended 'chokes and never specifies what you're supposed to do with each. I wing'ed it and just sort of stuffed the bottoms of the 'chokes with both mixtures. Consult recipe if you seek more specific clarification.


Step 7: How's that mac and cheese coming? I used regular milk instead of three cups of heavy cream as called for in hopes of making this a smidge healthier. Btw: mac and cheese on its own was CRAZY good. Might make this again just doing the goat cheese mac & cheese part, completely skipping the 'chokes.


Step 8: Stuff those artichokes! You can see next to it, I had enough mac & cheese left over to make a separate dish of plain baked mac and cheese which was AWESOME.




Step 9: Take artichokes out of oven and plate on simple arugula salad.




Heck of a lot of work, but worth it for some good times and food was great. Served with individual mini- strawberry pies and baked persimmon chips, which you can see in the full TR here.

[basinbeater]

I have never cooked mac and cheese beyond the kraft BS. So this thread inspired me and it is in the over as I type. Smoked Gouda, sharp cheddar, Romano, Parmesean, Asiago and whole wheat shells. (Basically all the cheese I found in the fridge.) Smells yummy.

[atomicboy]

beandip4all = poster child for Hells Kitchen or Top Chef


Keep it simple and cheap.



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[grrrr]

Kraft mac and cheese is to homemade as McDonalds is to Peter Luger. Did you get that one wrong on your SAT's?

[basinbeater]

Time to eat!

[BeanDip4All]

basin beater- are those cherry tomatoes in there as well? looks good.

i have been known to enjoy these boxed mac and cheeses, particularly when exhausted but hungry after work, or when the nerd and i are feeling lazy:

[Tippster]

The only acceptable boxed M&C product:



The Annie's stuff tastes chalky, IMHO.

[basinbeater]

basin beater- are those cherry tomatoes in there as well? looks good.

Nope, they are little chunks of hard salami. Thanks. It tastes good. If you have any of those stuffed artichokes laying around sometime, send me one. I want one.

[Sagamoron]

FKNA, lots of good stuff in here.

[fool]

I've heard Martha Stewart's recipe is great: http://www.marthastewart.com/article...oni-and-cheese

[m01766]

Don't forget to deep fat fry some for that extra artery clogging goodness

[m01766]

beandip4all = poster child for Hells Kitchen or Top Chef


Keep it simple and cheap.



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If Alton Brown saw this post I think he'd flip out and go on a killing spree

[grrrr]

Even homemade velveeta and cheese tops the velveeta boxed stuff, and is quicker to make. Throw some elbows in the water, heat some milk and melt in some velveeta. 100x better than kraft.

When it was my little sister's time to make dinner as a kid, she would always make that and add cut up hot dogs. I had to keep a wife beater shirt to wear for those dinners.

[Garth Bimble]

When I was in college I used to mix a can of cream of chicken soup with a box of mac and cheese...not very elegant but for a couple bucks it went a long way...

[DaHeel]

We do:
applewood bacon
grilled chicken
truffle oil=$$$$$$$$$

[Tippster]

Even homemade velveeta and cheese tops the velveeta boxed stuff, and is quicker to make. Throw some elbows in the water, heat some milk and melt in some velveeta. 100x better than kraft.

Ummm.... how is that any different than the boxed stuff? Velveeta = Kraft product, the cheese sauce in the pouch in the box is mainly Velveeta cheese product and milk, and the noodles are noodles (I kinda like the shells.) Way less PITA than keeping Velveeta around just to occasionally make M&C, no?

[Core Shot]

nice thread.

My personal fav is to add CURRY POWDER

that, or various hot sauces.

[rideit]

Pretty much a no-no in Italian cooking. I can think of very few times when it works.

One of the few great cheese and seafood dishes is Peruvian, Scallops Parmagiana...
http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/...armigiana.html

[Severine]

Dehydrated garlic (or fresh..but I forget about it and it goes bad) is a good addition, too. Just don't do too much--it can get overpowering fast.

[snowswine]

Loose bechemel
Montegrappa or asiago vechio/fontina blend
peas
Parma