Day 7: 21st-Century Mac 'N' Cheese

Why do cookbooks insist on so many recipes that are loaded with fat, cholesterol, and calories?

21st Century Mac 'N' Cheese

I had to go to an artist meeting/potluck last night so I thought this would be a good opportunity to make one of the fattier looking recipes. Something to please a crowd, but something you don't want to eat at home all the time.

I had to double this one but it definitely served more than the suggested serving size.

Basically it's lots and lots of full fat cheese mixed with milk (I used nonfat, I'm sure I wasn't supposed to), egg, onions, paprika, and red pepper flakes and then mixed with cooked elbow macaroni and put in a buttered casserole. The finale was mixing a lot of melted butter with crumbled saltines and sprinkling on top before baking for 25 minutes. It was extremely easy to make, but if you double it, mix the ingredients in your food processor in TWO BATCHES or you will make a big mess all over the counter like I did.

The paprika is really key here, it gave a lovely sweet smell. But again, one garlic clove just wouldn't cut it for me, so I quadrupled the garlic, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. I think it could be really good with chipotle or fresh basil thrown in. The gruyere and cream cheese added a nice taste but I went cheap on the cheddar since the gruyere was $8.40 and you couldn't taste it at all.

Why have only one recipe in your entire cookbook that uses saltines? I used 24 and now I have three of those sleeves left over. Anybody want them? Partially hydrogenated oil, yummy!

Needless to say, this was a big hit at the party and I only brought a tiny bit home which I scrambled up for breakfast with a left-over turkey burger. I forgot to bring the Tang beverage that probably would have been a nice retro touch. I think I'll have to make another variation of the simple salad tonight to combat the effects of mac 'n' cheese!


12 recipes down in The Splendid Tables HOW TO EAT SUPPER.