Epic, gooey, mac n’ cheese

You need one mac and cheese dish in your life, make it this one

This epic, gooey, mac n’ cheese dish, ticks all the comfort-food boxes.

And Jamie Oliver delivers us this beauty.

You are watching: Epic, gooey, mac n’ cheese

• SERVES: 6
• PREP TIME: 5 mins
• COOK TIME: 45 mins
• DIFFICULTY: easy
• IDEAL FOR: midweek meal, comfort food, family meal, crowd-pleaser, hang-over ‘cure’

Epic, gooey, mac n’ cheese

No, this is not a healthy dish.

Yes, this is a gooey, oozy, messy, dish that you will need to have a sleep after you tuck into it.

But don’t we all need a little, cheesy, comfort food from time to time?

And it could even be your next hangover cure! Wouldn’t that be nicer than a dried-up, Macdonald’s burger?

But there are a few golden rules to making the best mac and cheese.

Golden mac and cheese rules

1: The roux (“roo”)

Basically, a roux is a fancy (French) name for a mix of equal parts melted butter and flour, cooked for a minute or two over medium heat.

It’s to help thicken a sauce, keeps it from splitting, and makes it nice and creamy.

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Next, you add milk slowly to get a white sauce.

2: The cheese sauce

Once you have added the milk, you then add the cheese.

And our fancy French terminology continues:

• the mix of roux and milk is called a béchamel ( “BEH-sha-mel”)
• adding cheese makes it a mornay sauce

Tips to a gooey cheesy sauce

• Start with warm milk. It helps blend into the warm roux.
• Add the milk slowly and whisk the roux. The roux will thin out, then it will thicken up.
• Continue whisking the milk and it will loosen into a creamy sauce.
• Thicken and add cheese. Let bubble stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, then stir in the grated cheese, and let it melt.

What cheese to use

You need to use grated cheddar cheese.

And for this ultimate mac and cheese, a combination of cheddar cheese with gruyere.

Then a little sprinkling of Parmesan on top of the casserole before baking and after.

Bake until bubbly

Mix the cheesy sauce into the cooked pasta, pour that mess into a dish, top it with some bread crumbs (like panko), and bake it until crispy on top and bubbly below.

Need some greens?

Look, this isn’t your healthy meal.

It’s a cheap, decadent treat.

And to make it even better, I add crispy bacon lardons!

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But, you can add in some greens to get some of your 5-a-day.

So, things like frozen peas and cooked broccoli can easily be thrown in.

For another inexpensive pasta dish, visit here.

Is this the all-American dish?

I thought it was.

But apparently, the exact origin is unknown.

But most likely comes from Northern Europe, with the earliest known recipe being written down in 1769.

The Americans took a shine to it when Thomas Jefferson, visited France and fell in love with a pasta dish served there.

As president, he served macaroni and cheese at an 1802 state dinner.

References:

Jamie Oliver

The Kitchn

Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Recipe