Monday, February 11, 2008
Macaroni and Cheese, Please
Macaroni and Cheese. So good. So gooey. So cheesey.
I love macaroni and cheese, but I can't seem to make it well.
In the past month, I've made mac and cheese twice. The first time I followed this recipe from Alton Brown. I substituted half of the cheddar cheese for fontina. It was good, but it wasn't the ooey gooey goodness I had hoped for. It did have a very nice and crunchy crust which I really liked.
Last night, I tried this recipe from Paula Deen. I only used three eggs, not six, because that would be weird. I also used slightly different cheeses (medium cheddar, sharp cheddar, a colby jack mix, and velveeta). And, I actually added some spices, since this called for none (mustard and chili). It was fine, but it wasn't good. The eggs did weird things and you would end up biting into an egg chunk. It wasn't creamy. The crust on the top was just hard and gross.
So, what should I do next time? First, I really liked the sour cream in Paula's. I think I want to keep that up. I also really like Alton's panko crust. But what else? Without using a whole brick of velveeta, how do you make it gooey?
Please help.
I love macaroni and cheese, but I can't seem to make it well.
In the past month, I've made mac and cheese twice. The first time I followed this recipe from Alton Brown. I substituted half of the cheddar cheese for fontina. It was good, but it wasn't the ooey gooey goodness I had hoped for. It did have a very nice and crunchy crust which I really liked.
Last night, I tried this recipe from Paula Deen. I only used three eggs, not six, because that would be weird. I also used slightly different cheeses (medium cheddar, sharp cheddar, a colby jack mix, and velveeta). And, I actually added some spices, since this called for none (mustard and chili). It was fine, but it wasn't good. The eggs did weird things and you would end up biting into an egg chunk. It wasn't creamy. The crust on the top was just hard and gross.
So, what should I do next time? First, I really liked the sour cream in Paula's. I think I want to keep that up. I also really like Alton's panko crust. But what else? Without using a whole brick of velveeta, how do you make it gooey?
Please help.
Labels: cheese, help, macaroni, pasta
// posted by Kassie @ Monday, February 11, 2008 
Comments:
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i've made that alton brown recipe numerous times, but i understand your desire for gooeyness. Try epicurious for some recipes... let me know your results :)
don't bother with recepes that don't start with bechamel. get a moderately old cheddar, like a two year grafton. any older and it's too hard, too young and you can't taste it. i had a grassfed raw cheddar from trader joes last week that was unbelievable. extremely creamy. my mouth is watering right now just thinking about it.
we mix most of the cheese with the bechamel until it's melted, mix it with the hot pasta, and then sprinkle the top with the rest of the cheese and broil it to get the crusty on top, creamy underneath. the only ingredients you really need are butter, flour, cheese, and noodles. we add onions, garlic, good mustard, and tabasco.
we mix most of the cheese with the bechamel until it's melted, mix it with the hot pasta, and then sprinkle the top with the rest of the cheese and broil it to get the crusty on top, creamy underneath. the only ingredients you really need are butter, flour, cheese, and noodles. we add onions, garlic, good mustard, and tabasco.
I'm no mac & cheese expert, but what Ryan describes is exactly how my mom taught me to make this when I was a wee thing, whining away for kraft orange-crap-in-a-box.
The sour cream sounds like a really interesting addition though... I'll have to try it. (But such a bummer that the good scientist doesn't much care for cheese - will have to prepare it as a side dish for myself.)
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The sour cream sounds like a really interesting addition though... I'll have to try it. (But such a bummer that the good scientist doesn't much care for cheese - will have to prepare it as a side dish for myself.)
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