Operation Death by Macaroni and Cheese

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to my very first Thanksgiving. I was told that everyone was to bring a traditional Thanksgiving dish, and being that my life's motto is "dance like no one's watching and eat like you aren't lactose intolerant", I jumped at the chance to cook  Macaroni and Cheese. But this wasn't just any Macaroni and Cheese, this was Martha Stewart's recipe and I'd been waiting almost a year for an opportunity to cook it. It was amazing (and by amazing I mean so full of fatty ingredients that my heart nearly stopped beating just reading the recipe).

Here's what you'll need (serves 12. Halve the recipe if you've had a horrible day and need something comforting to eat while watching trashy television) :

• 6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into smallish, crouton-size pieces
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing dish
• 5 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar
• 2 cups grated Gruyere
• 500g elbow macaroni

1. Heat the oven to 190 degrees. Butter large casserole dish (I used one of those foil roasting trays you buy from the supermarket); set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided frying pan over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.


3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere. Set cheese sauce aside.

4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve. Best eaten sitting down with eyes closed (it's so dangerously delicious that your eyes tend to roll back in their sockets).

*You can find more delicious looking pics of this recipe here

 

Pan Fried Toasted Cheese Sandwich with Truffle Oil (so cheesy, no food pun needed)

Last week I was lucky enough to have the most amazing gift bestowed upon me. A work colleague of mine had spent a week in Melbourne and kindly brought me back a bottle of black truffle oil. 

As that particular day at work ended up being quite busy, in times of stress I sniffed at the oil like it was smelling salts (your brain really can't comprehend that anything stressful could be happening when it is faced with an aroma so crazily pungent and delicious).  Anyway, as it was my first time ever using black truffle oil, I thought I would start really simple. And since I decided to cook with it on a Sunday, it made sense after being at church and worshipping Jesus, to go home and cook with cheesus.

Here's What You'll Need:

• 2 slices of bread (I used a light rye)
• Vintage Cheddar cheese
• Black Truffle Oil

 Fry the bread in a pan in the oil (only fry one side of each slice) until browned. Flip one slice over, add the sliced cheese and put the other slice of bread on top. Continue frying sandwich until the bread has browned and cheese has melted. I accompanied the toastie with a cup of tea in a fancy tea cup, because I'm a lady (although seeing me eat you probably wouldn't think so). Best eaten with eyes closed, to experience maximum deliciousness.