I never thought there was such a thing as a ‘retro personality’. Until recently, when I was relating one of my Mom’s ancient but priceless cooking tips to a Gen Zer – who smiled patiently and proclaimed ME a ‘retro, legacy’ cook!
How ‘quaint’, ‘olde timey’ and ‘authentic’ a cook I must seem to some food-forward Gen Zers. Which is really their code for ‘stodgy’, ‘out-of-touch’ and ‘rule-bound’…
Hey! WHO’s ‘quaint’?
Those youngsters need to read the Fab Food Blog more often. Faithful followers will know I’m always willing to try something new (within reason). And I love to stay abreast of new trends and research discoveries in the Foodsphere!
So today I want to dispel any remaining doubts readers may harbour about my culinary currency, and awareness of the contemporary food universe conventions…
For example…
Sister Erin recently snagged for me, from the rushing torrent of ‘food news’ that passes our gaze every day, a small but telling piece about ‘elevating your Mac & Cheese’.
Specifically, it was a tell-all by culinary doyenne Martha Stewart about how she makes her Mac & Cheese so much better and more crave-worthy than yours or even mine.
Direct comparisons aside… I have my own ‘secrets’ for elevating M&C which I’ll stack up against Martha’s any day.
The Mornay Method
There’s only one question that I get – especially at Holiday times – that even comes close to ‘How To Ensure Lump-Free Gravy’. It’s how to get smooth, creamy nicely custard-set Mac & Cheese. And I have one ‘rule’ I reveal that usually wins me plaudits regardless who I share it with. That’s the Mornay Method.
The MM is simply to set aside any other ways you might make Mac & Cheese and go French. That is, rather than using cream or milk or a blend thereof – or any other creamy addition – to create the sauce, mix up a nice batch of thickish Béchamel sauce and add a couple of ample handfuls of your fave M&C cheese to transform that basic white sauce into a classic Mornay (French Cheese Sauce). Be sure to add the prescribed pinches of Dry Mustard and freshly grated Nutmeg. And be sure to add enough salt to bring out all the flavour of the cheese and spices.
Speaking of which…
That pinch of Mustard
It’s an essential addition when dealing with Mornay Sauce, or adding Cheese to any recipe. The fla-vour of any sharp cheese – but Cheddar in particular – is amplified and enriched by even a small amount of dried Mustard. I usually define ‘small’ as 1/2 tsp. per cup / 8 oz. / 236 ml. of cheese.
You don’t taste the Mustard, per se. But you definitely taste the difference it makes to the overall flavour profile. Which is why I always accord Mustard the separate-subhead status it deserves in circumstances such as this.
Caramelized Onions
There’s one more addition I like to make, to make my Mac & Cheese extra-special, especially for special-occasion feasts…
That’s a small amount of deeply-caramelized onions, gently sautéed either by Natalie’s Method or the Baking Soda Method I passed-on recently in this space. This is specifically an add-in to upgrade the flavour of the dish not to add bulk. So a small add of this powerful flavour base is usually enough to achieve he desired effect.
When the onions are fully softened and browned, I like to give them a good buzz in the bar blender so they’ll disappear texture-wise when stirred into the Mornay Sauce. And as bonus, the caramelized onions add a beautiful but subtle extra shot of golden colour and umami ‘je-ne-sais-quois’ to the dish. The result is very similar to my French Onion Mac & Cheese (See photo, top of page.)
Okay, Martha – let’s go!
To begin with, let me note that Martha apparently prefers the Béchamel Method to ‘creamy-ize her Mac & Cheese – just like I do. And that’s good, because it helps level the playing field at comparison time. I don’t know how Martha feels about my pinch of Mustard. But that pinch of Nutmeg is a classic edition to the Béchamel – so I expect she does use that.
But rather going off on a tangent parallel to mine, she – and her Mom – add just a small squeeze of Tomato Paste to the sauce. Don’t ask me why. She says it enhances the golden colour of an orange-yellow Cheddar Mornay. But I’ve never tried it…
The big addition Martha goes to for a flavour and (lumpless) texture boost is serving an appropriate amount of thick, rich sour cream on the side…
My take
Martha has her way and I have mine. But I would say it seems more natural trying her Sour Cream add-in as a thickening and flavour enhancing ingredient for the Mac & Cheese itself – in place of the Béchamel or milk/cream sauce-creation method. Haven’t tried that one, yet, so I can’t say ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ on it yet…
Now… Does anybody out there still consider me ‘stodgy’, ‘out-of-touch’ or ‘rule-bound’?
~ Maggie J.