![]() It doesn’t prevent separation 100%, but it does help a lot by absorbing some of those oils all while staying creamy and reheating better. The flour proteins help bind things together. However, reheating in the oven doesn’t necessarily give you better results either. That’s honestly because when reheating, you’re just further drying it out - especially if reheated in the microwave. Taste as you go, and season every layer! A note about REAL cheeseĬheese gives off oils when heated, so if you try to re-heat you may get some serious separation. Once I toss everything together, I taste it again and adjust the seasoning as I need to. I like to season the béchamel itself before adding the cheese - just go easy on the salt because cheese is already pretty salty. My seasonings of choice are usually black or white pepper, kosher or sea salt, cayenne pepper, onion powder, granulated garlic, a tiny bit of nutmeg and sometimes dry mustard. Open your mind and your palate will thank you. Some folks throw in roasted tomatoes, or mushrooms and onions, Italian sausage, or spinach. You can really get creative and add crushed up onion rings to the top for a sweet oniony crunch on top…man, I’m telling you…mac-n-cheese can take on just about any flavor. I love adding shallots, garlic and bacon to a mac-n-cheese dish for a whole ‘nother level of cheesy epicness. For example, when you order a pizza…the cheese tastes amazing with all of those contrasting flavors - onions, herbs, etc. You really wanna think about the flavors that compliment cheese overall, and try to apply that to your mac-n-cheese dish. Some cheese are very salty on their own, but that’s about it. Seasoning, where art thou? No matter what cheese you use, it needs a bit of help with some seasoning. I encourage you to try different cheeses until you find a blend that best suits your ultimate mac-n-cheese experience. Colby-jack is another great cheese, but if you want dramatic stringy cheese action, try whole milk mozzarella, monterey-jack, provolone, etc. Sometimes I only use fontina and gruyere - it really depends on what I’m craving. Smoked gouda isn’t very creamy on it’s own, so it absolutely needs to be paired with something and cheddar is always a great choice. Sometimes I only use cheddar and smoked gouda, another delicious pair - especially during BBQ season. I love adding the Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino-Romano to the béchamel sauce as a flavorful and slightly salty base, then tossing in the other cheeses with the coated pasta to be baked off. Those are my favorite cheeses because they all compliment each other extremely well, and melt together into this harmonious concoction of pure dairy lust. My usual starting-5 cheeses are Cheddar (any variety), Gruyere, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, and Fontina. You can use regular elbow macaroni, but try stepping outside the box once in a while □ Preferred Cheeses They hold onto the cheese sauce better and have openings big enough for that creamy cheese sauce to seep thru. Elbow macaroni rigate, penne rigate, and cavatappi pasta are my top go-to choices. I absolutely love using pasta with the ridges. If you aren’t used to real cheese, you probably won’t appreciate the rusticity of this authentic bounty of cheesy goodness…ok? Are we clear? Because this is some real sh*t, but before I get into it, here are a few notes… Preferred Pasta This isn’t some waxy boxed mac-n-cheese, people. It’s super easy to do, but a little intimidating if you’re not used to cooking. I saw him do it this way and it’s been my go-to method ever since, especially when I’m feeding more than 5 people. You can find this method just about everywhere, and I got my inspiration from watching Emeril Live back in the day. It’s the classic “ béchamel (cheese sauce) + pasta + more cheese + breadcrumb” method. There are 3 distinct ways I prepare my macaroni and cheese. It’s totally worth the effort to make again and again. It does take patience and practice, so don’t get frustrated if you don’t get it right the first time. I didn’t nail my own macaroni and cheese until maybe the 5th time I made it. I’ve had so many terrible versions made by others…super soggy overcooked pasta, clumpy bland cheese, dry and flavorless…the list goes on. Macaroni and cheese is one of those dishes that seems super easy to make, but many people can’t get it right. I kinda get why…not too many people hate macaroni and cheese. *cracks knuckles* This may be the most requested recipe ever.
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