Macaroni and Cheese
Melted butter in pan, then added 4 tablespoons of flour, mixing.
When it was warm & mixed enough, we slowly added 3 cups of milk, stirring constantly. This was confusing to me, as it took a really long time to notice any difference in the texture, but eventually it thickened.
The recipe Reesa had called for us to split the mixture in half, and then use two different kinds of cheese, and then bring the two back together. As we only had one kind of cheese, we ignored this. So in went approx 3 cups of grated cheese.
We continued to mix and melt and mix some more. We eventually dumped in the pre-cooked macaroni, and voila! We had our own mac and cheese.
Oh, we also mixed in some steamed cauliflower, but I think that's optional.
In hindsight, the sauce wasn't nearly cheesy enough and probably could have used some kind of spice or kick like paprika or cayenne pepper. We grated extra cheese and added salt & pepper to make it taste a bit more like what we wanted. I suppose that’s why you make things more than once before giving up! =P
I would never have guessed that a cheese sauce would include flour -- I would have looked for a refined starch (perhaps corn starch?) to use as a thickening agent. Guess it's a good thing that I don't actually cook. :-)
ReplyDeleteI hope you keep up with the cooking and posting; as a non-cook who knows that he really ought to learn to cook some day, I find your experience fascinating (not to mention educational).
apparently most cheese sauces and white sauces are flour based... go figure!
ReplyDeleteAll white sauces are basically fat or oil (usually butter) and flour, and are called "roux." It is the basis and thickening agent for gravy and other sauces, particularly in French cooking. Learn to make a good roux and you've learned to make a solid sauce. Remember the curry chicken penne at Canada Place? Roux + curry + chicken + penne. Simple and tasty.
ReplyDeleteSounds like I've got some white-sauce practice ahead. Once I figure out how to make it well, then I'll try re-create the Canada Place experience :).
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