Mac & Cheese keeps coming up in posts these days. It’s a natural for tough times: cheap, filling and something everybody finds ‘more-ish’. It’s also a natural for the cold-weather months. But how can you make your mark, setting your own ‘brand’ on your mac & cheese?
My problem…
I’ve always used real cheese, not processed cheese for the ‘sauce’ component of my mac & cheese. But that’s no longer enough to differentiate my superior product from the many prepared versions out there, featured at restaurants, at fast food joints, and the prepared-food departments of most supermarkets.
There are many variants, now, identified mainly by the extras in them. But, with a few exceptions, I feel most ‘additions’ we’re seeing are pushing these adulterated mac & cheeses out of the class M&C category altogether. If I crave mac & cheese, I want the mac and cheese front and centre. Not the addition(s).
In that spirit, I’ve collected a few select ingredients I believe can ‘elevate’ mac & cheese without making it into something else altogether.
My approved mac & cheese ‘secret ingredients’
Turmeric
This ancient, exotic spice fills several roles in an elevated mac & cheese performance. First, it adds just a little cheese-complementary flavour that is particularly compelling alongside aged, zippy Ched-dar. It makes your mac & cheese ‘stand out’ for reasons the folks you feed can’t quite nail down. And it consolidates the classic orange-yellow colour of your dish in a reassuring way.
Not to mention: Turmeric has recently entered the ranks of officially-recognised ‘superfoods’ for its nutrition-dense and bio-active ingredients properties.
Ground Yellow Mustard Seed
I’ve long used a pinch or two of ground Yellow Mustard Seed in my cheese sauces (again, particularly good with Cheddar and other nippy, melty cheeses). It imparts a slightly spicy, tangy edge that does-n’t outshine the cheese itself. It’s particularly useful as an ‘amplifier’ for cheese, in as much as – even though a little goes along way – it’s not as pronounced a flavour as Turmeric and, therefor it’s a little more forgiving if you add a little too much.
Caramelized Onions
I couldn’t resist adding caramelizes onions as a legit adjunct to classic mac & cheese. Even if they’re more visually- and flavour-apparent in the finished product than the foregoing spices. They add a whole separate dimension of cheese-complementary flavour while not actually outshining the cheese. And, of course, you can add as little or as much of this adjunct, either in its ‘whole’ slivered or diced form, or buzzed to a creamy texture that all but disappears (visually) when mixed into the sauce.
Caramelized onions will add a whole mysterious layer of umami earthiness to your mac & cheese that elevates it from the everyday to ‘featured holiday feast side dish’ status.
Roasted Garlic
Should probably be higher on today’s list than this… It has the same effects as caramelized onions, but with a decidedly different character. The garlic must be carameized – usually accomplished by oven roasting the whole head/bulb in the oven until creamy-soft and light brown in colour. It takes on a delightful sweetness while losing much of the garlicy edge many folks find objectionable. In this attenuated form, you’ll find you can – and want to – use more of this roasted stuff than you would ever consider using in fresh, raw form…
My take
However you choose to ‘elevate’ your mac & cheese, DO try elevating it. You’ll also enhance your reputation as a food wizard as well as your food itself. And it won’t take a huge effort – just a light creative, touch…
~ Maggie J.