Slog - Comments on Re: Mac and Me http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me Mr. Constant, do not despair, and do not make the recipe you think looks good because it is simple. Macaroni and cheese is simple conceptually, but it does require time and stirring. Shoving ingredients together and baking will not give you the macaroni of which you dream. This recipe will. It represents a coupling of the mac and cheese from The Grit Restaurant in Athens, Georgia, and the Macaroni With Quattro Formaggi from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook. (The Grit recipe goes the egg-inclusion route, which I consider too custardy.) The bread-monogram may seem overly Martha, but people will... Copyright 2008 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:40:08 -0800 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:00:35 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by NapoleonXIV I grew two pants-sizes just reading that.

]]> NapoleonXIV http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073937 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073937 Chow Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:44:22 -0800 Comment by Chris What, no photo?

]]> Chris http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073939 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073939 Chow Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:45:14 -0800 Comment by The Incredible Husk C'mon, JTC, say something about cheese, I dare ya!

]]> The Incredible Husk http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073948 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073948 Chow Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:48:51 -0800 Comment by Peckerwood That sounds so cracker.

]]> Peckerwood http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073957 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073957 Chow Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:59:01 -0800 Comment by mjanet This is more along the lines of what my mom always made (which was, of course, delicious -- I didn't even know you could buy mac 'n cheese in a box until I was in high school).

Now don't shoot me, but one of the shortcuts my mom discovered was to make the cheese sauce in the microwave rather than on the stove top. It virtually eliminates the chance to screw it up. Do everything at one minute increments on high and stir well after each minute:

1. Melt the butter in an oven safe dish.
2. Add the flour to the butter.
3. Add the milk (it sometimes takes a few minutes but suddenly you have slightly thickened, silky smooth milk -- just remember to stir after each minute)
4. Add cheese and keep cooking/stirring every minute. It starts out gross, lumpy, and greasy looking and suddenly turns into beautiful cheese sauce (I dare you to keep from spooning it out and eating it!).
5. Dump over your pre-cooked pasta, bake, and slip into a mac 'n cheese coma.

]]> mjanet http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073962 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073962 Chow Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:03:03 -0800 Comment by Chk_it Foodie alert...the Roux is the result of the melted butter and flour mixture cooking together; this is a basic thickner for many sauces, soups, stews.
Adding the milk and heating through until the cream consistency results in Bechamel (although a quick couple of grates fresh nutmeg need to be added in here(not some crap floor sweepings in a little plastic shaker dammit!!) ; this is a classic and compulsory white sauce for every lactose tolerant human on the planet; and if you are not lactose tolerant, then get the damn pill - this is how I would make Mac and cheese and I am fat n happy

]]> Chk_it http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073963 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073963 Chow Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:03:54 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle Now THAT is a recipe!

YUM!

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073977 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073977 Chow Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:10:14 -0800 Comment by PopTart @1 Oh so tempted to make a hard-on joke here.

Bethany Jean should be Bethany Genius. This is a perfect recipe and if I hadn't already insisted to my son that mac & cheese is not an appropriate birthday dinner for me, I'd be tempted to whip it up for myself. But, a 6 year old saying "I told you so" is never pleasant.

]]> PopTart http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073978 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073978 Chow Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:10:25 -0800 Comment by Martha Boudreau Estouart Nah you can't make a roux by cooking flour in butter and adding 2.5 cups of milk, y'all.

You gotta cook flour and butter, but way longer than one minute.

Y'all want to add milk and make sum kind a Bechamel thang go ahead but roux she is just butter and flour, cooked to get light brown, medium brown, dark brown or almos' black.

]]> Martha Boudreau Estouart http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073986 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073986 Chow Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:13:58 -0800 Comment by josh bomb oh fack, you had to say the Grit didn't you???

this macaroni is the best i have ever eaten in my lifetime.

you should really make some.

now if you'll excuse me, i'm off to pick up some comeback sauce.

]]> josh bomb http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073992 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1073992 Chow Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:17:33 -0800 Comment by Eric from Boulder "I am not going to put this after a jump because macaroni is important." Damn straight it is, and my only gripe is the absence of an extensive pre-jump photo-spread. My daughter says it's ABLTs (advocado BLTs) which have a related, double-the-fat appeal. On my way home, I'll think about mac-n-cheese, but won't be disappointed to eat ABLTs instead.

]]> Eric from Boulder http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074032 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074032 Chow Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:43:04 -0800 Comment by Bethany Jean Clement I'm sorry I can't unearth any photos—I was sure I had some beauts. The letters brown up so nicely.

]]> Bethany Jean Clement http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074039 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074039 Chow Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:52:45 -0800 Comment by chode Congrats!

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2008/07/bjc_the_new_stranger_me.php

]]> chode http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074128 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074128 Chow Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:29:04 -0800 Comment by RainMan @8: Happy birthday, PopTart!

]]> RainMan http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074130 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074130 Chow Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:33:25 -0800 Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball @3, that's the cheesiest thing I've ever read!

]]> Jubilation T. Cornball http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074184 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074184 Chow Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:06:37 -0800 Comment by PopTart @14, Thanks RainMan!

]]> PopTart http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074185 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074185 Chow Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:07:41 -0800 Comment by Fnarf Happy Birthday, PopTart!

Any recipe that tells you when to have a drink is all right by me.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074194 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074194 Chow Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:37:55 -0800 Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball @16, hey, happy birthday to my Slog girlfriend!!!

]]> Jubilation T. Cornball http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074196 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074196 Chow Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:40:57 -0800 Comment by ams Oh Bethany, I looove the silver palate cookbook. It is still my favorite after all these years, and I still love to read the menus and imagine I'm a socialite with lots o' time on my hands in mid 80's NYC.
Thanks for the recipe!

]]> ams http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074241 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074241 Chow Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:53:21 -0800 Comment by Ryan Paul was attracted to the first recipe because it was easy, so here's an easy non-roux bake:

8 oz. cheddar
8 oz. mozzerella
8 oz. pepper jack
8 oz. muenster
32 oz./two boxes rotelle (or penne or elbow or whatever)
1/2 green pepper
1/2 red pepper
1/2 onion (white or yellow)

Shred all the cheese into a bowl while boiling the pasta. When the pasta's done, rinse with cool water. Mix in the veggies, then pour about 1/4 of the noodles into baking tins. Add some shredded cheese and mix it up, then add the rest of the noodles and cheese and mix some more, in the pan. Sprinkle Chalula hot sauce liberally on top, because Chalula is like Tabasco sauce but fucking awesome. Bake at 350 degrees for about half an hour until the top is bubbling.

]]> Ryan http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074274 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074274 Chow Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:18:37 -0800 Comment by Fermentation T. Cheeseball @15,

Back at ya!

]]> Fermentation T. Cheeseball http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074299 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/re_mac_and_me#c1074299 Chow Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:00:35 -0800