"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."What do those words from the Declaration of Independence have to do with macaroni and cheese? Not really that much. They were both created by Thomas Jefferson, who would have been considered one of the greatest Americans in history had he just come up with one of those brilliant ideas, let alone two.
This video recipe shows the basic steps to making classic, old-school macaroni and cheese. The adjustable aspect comes in when you decide how much pasta to boil. Most mac and cheese recipes that use this amount of cheese sauce call for 8-ounces of dry elbow macaroni. This makes for a very rich, cheesy, and gooey casserole that yields about 4 portions.In this version I use the same standard cheese mixture, but boil the whole pound of macaroni. This also produces a lovely, crispy-topped dish of mac and cheese, but yields about 8 portions. This version is very tasty, very cheesy, but certainly not as rich, moist, or gooey. Of course, as I mention in the video, you can use 12-ounces and split the difference.
I know you still may be working on your chocolate lava cake homework, but when you have time try this recipe, and vary the amounts of pasta to find your personal preference.
One thing you won't want to change is the perfect crust technique I use for the topping. The surprisingly small amount of crumbs, covering just the right a mount of cheese, cooked at just the right temperature, will produce crust that even Mr. Jefferson would have been proud of. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 1 lb elbow macaroni 3-4 cups of grated sharp Cheddar cheese, or whatever 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup flour 1/4 tsp dried thyme 1/4 tsp cayenne 1/8 tsp white pepper 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp salt pinch of nutmeg 1 tsp Dijon mustard 3 cups milk 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs plus 1 tbsp butter
I finally re-visited my chocolate lava cake recipe, and this new user-friendly version looks better, sounds better, and doesn't call for any extra-large eggs. I don’t remember why the original recipe called for them, but this updated formula uses the standard large variety, which should save me from answering another 300 emails.
The original chocolate lava cake video recipe is probably the most watched, most commented, most emailed, and most linked-to recipe I've ever filmed. Most people like chocolate cake, but when you add "lava" to the name, they go completely mental.I also had the upcoming Valentine's Day in mind. For you single guys that aren't handsome, don't have money, and can't play a musical instrument, this may be the only arrow in Cupid's quiver. But take heart, it is a devastating weapon when used correctly. End your romantic home cooked meal with this dessert, and watch the magic. Enjoy!
Ingredients: 2 large eggs 2 large egg yolks 5 tbsp butter 3 tbsp sugar 3.5 oz dark chocolate (this is one standard chocolate bar) 3 tbsp flour 4 tsp good (aka expensive) cocoa powder pinch salt 1/8 tsp vanilla View the complete recipe
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My wife Michele worked in retail cheese sales for many years, and her favorite part of the job was helping customers with choosing the perfect cheese for the occasion, as well as matching the cheese to the drinks being served. With so many cheeses, and so many beverages, this can be a daunting task for a host.
Since I have exclusive rights to Michele's extensive cheese pairing knowledge, I'll have to tell you about the Cheese Cupid. This interactive, animated guide was created by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board to promote their regional cheeses. It is one of the better online cheese pairing tools I've come across.
We took a trip up to Aaron Jonas' "Chef Within" Cooking School in Petaluma (future site of some Food Wishes film production), so I could do a few tests with my video camera. Since I had some lovely cheese samples sent to me from the aforementioned Wisconsinites, I thought I'd film Michele testing some of the cheese and beverage pairings.
You'll see the Cheese Cupid in the brief video clip below. It's simple to use, has cool graphics, and even features a (very) friendly female voice. Not only does she try and seduce you into falling in love with these cheeses, she also pronounces the names for you, so you can sound like a real gourmet at the store. Enjoy!
What do those words from the Declaration of Independence have to do with macaroni and cheese? Not really that much. They were both created by Thomas Jefferson, who would have been considered one of the greatest Americans in history had he just come up with one of those brilliant ideas, let alone two.
In this version I use the same standard cheese mixture, but boil the whole pound of macaroni. This also produces a lovely, crispy-topped dish of mac and cheese, but yields about 8 portions. This version is very tasty, very cheesy, but certainly not as rich, moist, or gooey. Of course, as I mention in the video, you can use 12-ounces and split the difference.
