HEC: Mac n Cheese

Mac n Cheese 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup Macaroni

Cheese

Onion

Garlic

3T Cornflour

30g Butter

2 cups of milk

Panko breadcrumbs

Optional: peas, corn, ham, tomato

Mise en Place-- foremost-- then preparing of the ingredients.  With recipes such as this, most of the ingredients and even the actual recipe is mostly much like a guideline. It is not mainly about following the recipe but also creating one along the way. By such the cooking and the dish will please your taste, cooking is a form of art and it is up to the one who cooks that will decide it. However, there are some precautions and basics that are needed to be learned before any changes are made. The main example for such is the 'roux' that will be the base for our sauce. Roux is a term for cooking flour with fat, which will then be used to gradually thicken the sauce.  

However, let us start at the beginning.  First, water is boiled and is given a few teaspoons of salt. When it comes to a boil the pasta is put in, in this case, macaroni. It is then boiled up to the needed time, the texture as always is to be "Al dente" not too soft and not too hard, the perfect texture and amount of doneness. While the pasta is put a boil, onion is chopped, which is done finely chopped. With this session of cooking, we decided to use a method that several chefs use so that it is considered "finely chopped".

This method was one that I have seen from "Marco Piere White", a chef that I adore, it is when the onions are so finely chopped that they almost melt in the cooking process. 

The Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBj9H6z6Uxw

With that garlic paste is used, finely chopped garlic would be fine too. However, if you would like to know how to make a garlic paste. It is simply chopping the garlic over and over, then when the desired size, which should be quite small is achieved; sprinkle or ground salt over the garlic and grind it using the surface of the knife. Continue pushing back and forth until the particles and texture of the salt break the garlic down. 

Over medium heated pan, place and cook the butter, onions, garlic until translucent. Which in this case, if 'finely chopped' onions and garlic paste is used, would not take much time to cook.  Then place the cornflour or all-purpose flour into the pan and whisk it in. Take the pan off the heat for a moment and gradually add in the milk as well as mustard--to taste. As you then may notice the milk will then thicken, though then you may return the pan on the heat, whilst continuously mixing. Move it on and off the heat as needed until the amount of sauce is given or that the milk has gone.  By then you should have a thick sauce and a cooked pasta to mix with. 

You may have chosen to Blanche the corn kernels and peas [is you wanted them] then add it when the sauce and pasta are mixed. Either that or have then chosen to cook the peas and corn with the onions and garlic. Previously we have also cut tomatoes and ham to add to the mixture. The pasta, tomatoes, cheese and ham are mixed in the pan with the sauce, season to taste. Thereafter it shall then be transferred into a baking dish suitable for Mac n Cheese, sprinkle cheese on top and panko. 

On a preheated oven of 180o C, the Mac n Cheese should cook for approx 15 mins or until the panko has turned golden brown.

To be honest, this is, from my knowledge the first that I have made a Mac n Cheese. Though I did have an idea and knowledge from my group mates as well as shows that I have watched before, it was the first that I have tasted and made it. The dish was quite creamy, I loved the richness of the sauce in the Mac n Cheese. It was just the right thickness in my opinion. The macaroni provided a nice surface in which the sauce can hold onto. The panko gave the dish another element of texture too, making it more complex. The next steps taht I would like to make in this dish would be, maybe looking at other types of pasta, one of what I like using, 'Farfalle' give a broader surface area and also maybe an Orecchiette. For flavour, I like to have more kick and spice to the dish, as I am fond of such. Using cayenne pepper could be an option, or using rougher mustard. With that, I think the dish would go nicely with sharpness along with the creamy taste, maybe sprinkling the dish with a sharper cheese on top to provide contrasting flavour.