What makes macaroni and cheese good?
Recently, the Foodie Family was out for a meal and I ordered mac and cheese. Paul, aka Mr. Foodie, asked how it was. My response... "Bland. Creamy, but bland". That got me thinking about macaroni and cheese and what the expectations are for good mac and cheese.
Texture is important. A successful mac and cheese, in my mind, is gooey and oozy. Crunch on the top is an added bonus. But, a dry or chunky mac and cheese doesn't knock my socks off like a creamy one does.
Flavor is uber important in my book. I want complexity. I want to taste the cheese and for there to be more than one cheese flavor profile. I like a little heat. Maybe some mustard or Worcestershire sauce or both. There should be layers to the flavor, not just one note. The one I had the other day didn't even seem to have salt and pepper in it... not enough to taste anyway! Those are certainly musts!
But, what else? Is it down to those two things? Does type of pasta matter? Macaroni versus shells versus cavatappi versus rigatoni? Do we even care?
And, do you have a go-to recipe that you use? The Foodie Family would love to try it out!
3 comments:
I have had people swoon at the table when I've made Patti LaBelle's "Over the Rainbow Mac and Cheese." It's not an everyday food, and is sure to harden the arteries a little, but it sure is tasty.
http://pattilabelle.com/forum/index.php?threads/pattis-over-the-rainbow-mac-cheese-recipe.15/
I find mine often turns out dry because I try to skimp on the milk and cheese in order to be more "healthy." I recently made one with a bunch of roasted veggies and with a good amount of spicy paprika. It was on the dry side, but it was huge on flavor. I think I found it on pinterest...
Ooh! Both sound yummy. And, looks like we can take a pick whether we want to go healthy or indulgent! :)
Post a Comment