the nyummm! vlog

where the magic happens

mac n cheese with worcestered-beef

Taking the tip from a comment from my previous batch of mac n cheese, I marinated the beef ever so slightly, this time, with salt, pepper and worcestershire sauce. I also left them to be slightly chunkier so the dish looked a little more like mac n cheese again.
 
I also left it to only 2 cheeses (cheddar and jack) and added a little herb to the butter prior to adding cheese. Also, instead of creating the sauce first, I started with butter, then put in the mac, then added the cheese. I've always worked in this way, but I attempted the last batch with some advice from a website, which didn't seem to bode well with my recipe. So back to my ways, I went.
 
Tastes a little better this time, but I think the cheese isn't quite strong enough. I might actually bring gouda back into the next mix.

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Posted August 10, 2009 by elfreda Chan 
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more mac n cheese

A new recipe test, today. 3 cheeses: medium cheddar, monterrey jack and mozzarella. And beef.
 
Result? Not quite enough cheese in today's mix. And the beef is missing something significant. Hmm...

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Posted August 9, 2009 by elfreda Chan 
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STEP THREE: playing with recipes #macncheese

Salt is indeed the king of spices. This time, I played with the salt and pepper proportions... grinded a little bit of dried hot chili into the mac n cheese too! I also added a random ingredient to the mix. An egg.
 
No olive oil this time. And still used gouda. No cream this time, either. Or butter. I forgot to mention, last time, that I used that.
 
Makes the dish look a little more clumpy and weird. But for someone who has a stomach problem, this was actually a lot easier to eat and feels, already, a lot easier to digest. It does lose the stringy effect that normal mac n cheese has... which makes me wonder, what if I add mozzarella to the mix? Ooh... IDEA!

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Posted July 18, 2009 by elfreda Chan 
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STEP TWO: testing out cheeses #macncheese

   
Click here to download:
STEP_TWO_testing_out_cheeses_m.zip (3287 KB)

I went to a cheese shop today and asked what cheese would taste good in a mac n cheese. They suggested a dutch, medium cheese called Gouda (among others, of course).
 
Gouda comes covered in a wax; mine was yellow. Slightly pungent. Somewhat bitter. Considerably creamy. Very easy to grate. I found that it needed complimenting, though. Perhaps with bacon, or at least a little bit of meat.
 
I also found some durum wheat macaroni in the cupboard today, too. A lot more sturdy than the 3 minute kind. So I tested out a very basic recipe to get my mac n cheese training going.
 
By adopting normal pasta cooking techniques, I boiled the macaroni, then proceeded to drain it and soak in olive oil while I prepared the cheese.
 
I added a good handful and a half of the grated Gouda with a dash of half n half cream, then added black pepper for flavor, and even put a little dried basil in there to try to bring it some life.
 
Result? Kinda bland. It's seriously missing something.

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Posted July 15, 2009 by elfreda Chan 
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STEP ONE: finding the right macaroni #macncheese

Like any diligent foodie-based cook would, day one of my mac n cheese battle preparation involved trying out macaroni (and also thinking a lot about the damn battle, too). Unless you're already an absolute pro at pasta types - and by pro, I mean Pro - I believe the best way to choose the right macaroni is to test them all out, in the right frame of mind.
 
Today's macaroni type was the 3 minute kind. Yes, the Japanese version that comes packed in the exact proportion to feed no more and no less than one person, made to cook almost instantaneously by boiling water and adding some flavored powder... oh, the HORROR!
 
Don't knock it, though. As much as they are somewhat unorthodox and human-engineered, the texture is not too bad. However, they ARE designed to be enjoyed in a soup. And if overcooked (which could mean only a matter of seconds), they split apart. That's not the kind of quality to have in a thick cheesy sauce that already looks like mush.
 
Hmm... CONCLUSION: 3 minute macaroni is a NO GO.

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Posted July 14, 2009 by elfreda Chan 
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