19.11.08
Vote!
My tortilla soup recipe has been selected as one of the finalists in the MarxFoods Comfort Food Recipe Contest, and they're deciding the winner by popular vote. Head on over there and vote (for me presumably) and I assure you the gift certificate will go to good use!
14.11.08
As Cheesy as I Wanna Be
While most people are content to get their mac 'n cheese fix from a box (I admit, there are times when it's easier) there's really no comparison to homemade macaroni and cheese. It's easy, delicious, and completely open to creativity. There are a plethora of cheeses and flavors you can incorporate into this classic, and once you understand the basic technique, the possibilities are limitless.
The basis for good macaroni and cheese is a good cheese sauce (or Sauce Mornay). Constructing the Mornay requires first making a Bechamel (a white sauce made by thickening milk or cream with a Roux,) one of the French 'Mother Sauces' that's a very handy and quite useful technique to have in your repertoire.
Three Cheese Macaroni
(Recipe serves 3-4)
2 T. Butter
2 T. Flour
1 1/2 cups milk (skim, whole, 2%, whatever you'd like)
1 Bay leaf
5 Peppercorns
2 cloves
1 clove Garlic, smashed
2 sprigs Thyme
2 cups Cheese, shredded (I used a combination of Fontina, Sharp Cheddar and Parmigiano)
1 tsp. Dried Mustard
1/4 tsp. grated Nutmeg
Salt and Pepper as needed
1 cup dried Macaroni
Melt butter in a pan.
Add flour, and stir until incorporated. This should result in an off-white paste.
This is your Roux.
Remove from pan and set aside to cool.
Add bay leaf, thyme, cloves, peppercorns, garlic and milk to a saucepan.
Bring just to a boil and remove from heat.
Let steep for about 15 minutes.
Remove spices/herbs and bring milk back to a simmer.
Whisk in the Roux, adding a teaspoon at a time until sauce is thickened (should just coat the back of a spoon.)
Simmer, stirring, until flour taste is gone.
This is your Bechamel.
Strain the sauce (to remove any lumps).
Add dried mustard and nutmeg.
Off of the heat (very important to prevent cheese from getting stringy) gradually add the cheese, stirring until incorporated. Take the pan off and on the heat until the cheese is melted.
This is your Mornay.
Adjust seasoning as needed.
In a pot of salted (like the sea!), boiling water, cook the macaroni until al dente.
Strain and add Mornay to coat.
Toss.
For the topping:
2 strips Bacon, cooked, chopped roughly
2 sprigs Thyme, picked
1/4 cup bread crumbs (make your own!)
Combine all in a food processor and pulse until mixed.
Add macaroni and cheese to bowls, ramekins, casserole, etc. (as long as they are oven safe) and top with the breadcrumb mixture.
Pop under the broiler for a minute or two to brown the topping.
Serve and enjoy!
The basis for good macaroni and cheese is a good cheese sauce (or Sauce Mornay). Constructing the Mornay requires first making a Bechamel (a white sauce made by thickening milk or cream with a Roux,) one of the French 'Mother Sauces' that's a very handy and quite useful technique to have in your repertoire.
Three Cheese Macaroni
(Recipe serves 3-4)
2 T. Butter
2 T. Flour
1 1/2 cups milk (skim, whole, 2%, whatever you'd like)
1 Bay leaf
5 Peppercorns
2 cloves
1 clove Garlic, smashed
2 sprigs Thyme
2 cups Cheese, shredded (I used a combination of Fontina, Sharp Cheddar and Parmigiano)
1 tsp. Dried Mustard
1/4 tsp. grated Nutmeg
Salt and Pepper as needed
1 cup dried Macaroni
Melt butter in a pan.
Add flour, and stir until incorporated. This should result in an off-white paste.
This is your Roux.
Remove from pan and set aside to cool.
Add bay leaf, thyme, cloves, peppercorns, garlic and milk to a saucepan.
Bring just to a boil and remove from heat.
Let steep for about 15 minutes.
Remove spices/herbs and bring milk back to a simmer.Whisk in the Roux, adding a teaspoon at a time until sauce is thickened (should just coat the back of a spoon.)
Simmer, stirring, until flour taste is gone.
This is your Bechamel.
Strain the sauce (to remove any lumps).
Add dried mustard and nutmeg.
Off of the heat (very important to prevent cheese from getting stringy) gradually add the cheese, stirring until incorporated. Take the pan off and on the heat until the cheese is melted.
This is your Mornay.
Adjust seasoning as needed.
In a pot of salted (like the sea!), boiling water, cook the macaroni until al dente.
Strain and add Mornay to coat.
Toss.
For the topping:
2 strips Bacon, cooked, chopped roughly
2 sprigs Thyme, picked
1/4 cup bread crumbs (make your own!)
Combine all in a food processor and pulse until mixed.
Add macaroni and cheese to bowls, ramekins, casserole, etc. (as long as they are oven safe) and top with the breadcrumb mixture.
Pop under the broiler for a minute or two to brown the topping.
Serve and enjoy!
Homemade is Best
Why buy something like breadcrumbs when making your own is easy and full of infinite creative possibilities? Good question, I say. If you eat bread, and I bet you do, then I'm sure you're left with scraps or end pieces that you otherwise discard. Don't! Save them, freeze them, and when you've got enough, you can make your very own breadcrumbs.
Homemade Breadcrumbs
(Recipe makes 1 cup)
2 cups bread scraps
Set scraps out on the counter for a day or so, until they're dry.
-
or
-
On a sheet tray, toast scraps in a very very low oven (175 F) for an hour or so, until the scraps are thoroughly dry.
Remove from the oven, combine with any number of things (herbs, cheeses, spices) and pulse in a food processor until the desired texture.
Crumbs will store in an airtight container for a month or so. (Crumbs with cheese and other perishable products should be used immediately or refrigerated.)
Homemade Breadcrumbs
(Recipe makes 1 cup)
2 cups bread scraps
Set scraps out on the counter for a day or so, until they're dry.
-
or
-
On a sheet tray, toast scraps in a very very low oven (175 F) for an hour or so, until the scraps are thoroughly dry.
Remove from the oven, combine with any number of things (herbs, cheeses, spices) and pulse in a food processor until the desired texture.
Crumbs will store in an airtight container for a month or so. (Crumbs with cheese and other perishable products should be used immediately or refrigerated.)
Divine Swine
There are a lot of ways to cook bacon, most of which result in burnt or soggy and otherwise unappetizing slabs of swine. Here is my favorite, and as far as I'm concerned, the only method.
Place metal racks on a sheet tray.
Spray the racks.
Arrange bacon on the racks, making sure to leave space between pieces.
Place the tray(s) in a cold oven.
Turn oven to 400 F.
Once oven preheats, check in on your bacon every two minutes or so. Careful, do not neglect your pork, as it can and will go from perfect to inedible quite quickly.
This method will get you crispy, perfectly cooked strips of bacon with no shrinking or curling every time. Plus you still get to save that precious bacon grease that drips down onto the sheet tray.
Place metal racks on a sheet tray.
Spray the racks.
Arrange bacon on the racks, making sure to leave space between pieces.
Place the tray(s) in a cold oven.
Turn oven to 400 F.
Once oven preheats, check in on your bacon every two minutes or so. Careful, do not neglect your pork, as it can and will go from perfect to inedible quite quickly.
This method will get you crispy, perfectly cooked strips of bacon with no shrinking or curling every time. Plus you still get to save that precious bacon grease that drips down onto the sheet tray.
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