More on macaroni cheese

Those of you who have followed this blog for a while will remember the Ultimate Macaroni Cheese Challenge a couple of years ago which was won by Helen Graves of Food Stories.

Now the Guardian's excellent Felicity Cloake has turned her forensic eye on the subject in her 'Perfect' series exploring what indeed it is that makes the perfect macaroni cheese. You'll need to read the piece for the full lowdown and recipe but a couple of useful tips which is rinsing the pasta in cold water once you've cooked it and using a fair amount of sauce, a conclusion I've come to myself after trying a Simon Hopkinson recipe for baked pappardelle with pancetta and porcini the other day. I thought there must be a mistake it contained so little pasta but he was - of course - right.

She's on more controversial ground with her breadcrumbs and tomato topping which Guardian readers, a vocal lot, weren't all sure they approved of. Which is one of the joys of a recipe like this: people defend their corner so fiercely.

Anyway, you can find Felicity's recipe here (scroll down to the bottom of the article).

Ultimate Macaroni Cheese Challenge: the winners!

Well, I knew it was going to be a hard call to decide on our winning entries and it was! I can’t tell you how glad I was to have roped in some guest judges to share the burden of decision-making but we got there in the end!

In an ideal world we’d have made and tasted all the entries but at the end of the day this is just a piece of fun, not a serious competition. So to any of you who feel aggrieved that we’ve overlooked your masterpiece, my sincere apologies.

First off, the best drink match, a last-minute category suggested by Denise of The Wine Sleuth who nobly agreed to judge the entries. We had four which you can see here. We both liked the entries from Andrew Barrow of Spittoon who suggested an English white, the Oakengrove Vineyard Dry White 2006 and Lucy Bridgers of Wine, Food and Other Pleasures who went for a mature white burgundy, Rully 1er Cru 2000 Les Cloux from Vincent Girardin but Denise reckoned that the Rully would be more likely to deliver over a range of mac’n’cheeses and that Lucy made her case persuasively.

The photography category was small but we had one outstanding winner, according to our judge Marie-Louise Avery: Rob of Eat Pictures who submitted a highly original and colourful take on the subject.
“Rob's picture is well lit, nicely composed, uses focus interestingly and is an original approach” said Marie-Louise.

In the artisanal cheese category we felt three entries stood out: Signe Johansen’s version which used Montgomery, Wensleydale, Gorwydd Caerphilly and Stichelton, Sharmila’s, which used Montgomery, Ogleshield and Isle of Mull Cheddar and Scott’s extensively researched Mac and Montgomery Cheddar. It was a tough call but judge Jess Trethowan of Trethowan’s Dairy thought Signe performed the greatest service to the British artisanal cheese cause. “Great cheeses, great crème fraîche - very nice and simple but delicious."

And finally - the big one - the best original recipe which as I explained meant the best recipe invented by you rather than the most off the wall. There were so many outstanding entries in this category judges Xanthe Clay, Marlena Spieler and I really had a struggle. We loved Mathilde’s Mac’n’Cheese à la française, Scott’s Mac ‘n’ (Man)Chego, James’s stylish lobster mac and Susan of Food Blogga’s Italian macaroni and cheese but in the end it was a toss-up between Elly of Pear Café’s delicious-sounding Macaroni cheese with Welsh Rarebit topping and Helen of Food Stories' wickedly indulgent Mac and Cheese for an Army made with cooked ham hocks. And being piggy that was our final choice though Xanthe, who was unable to resist cooking it up, offered the suggestion that it could do with a touch more flour to stablise the lavish amounts of cheese! (Interestingly it looks like it was your choice too. It was the most frequently mentioned of the recipes and attracted no less than 34 comments on Helen’s blog.)

So four worthy winners! Congratulations, all. Your prizes will all be winging their way in the next week or so and I hope those of you who didn’t win will still agree that this was a great deal of fun.

Mac’n’cheese challenge: best use of artisanal cheese

While it’s always fun to invent a new recipe I thought it would be good to have a category which encouraged you all to use British artisanal cheeses. There was of course some overlap - some of you mentioned specific cheeses in your entries for best original recipe - and some made good use of cheeses outside the UK but you have to draw the line somewhere.

Interestingly Neal’s Yard proved to be the favourite place to source your cheeses and Montgomery's Cheddar the most frequently featured cheese:


Donna D combined it with Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire in her blog My Fitness Year. (Not that mac'n'cheese immediately strikes you as part of a healthy eating regime but as Donna says, moderation in all things!)

Ms MarmiteLover offers the alternative of Green's of Glastonbury cheddar or Montgomery for her classic version which she says is "perfect for sitting in front of the telly watching something a bit crap like 'I'm a celebrity' or 'Big Brother'. It's great duvet food."


Sig of Scandilicious combined Montgomery with Wensleydale, Gorwydd Caerphilly and Stichelton in her ingenious version (above) which employed crème fraîche rather than having to make a cheese sauce. (Nice pix of the individual cheeses too.)


Sharmila of Sharmila on Food opted for Montgomery’s Cheddar, Ogleshield and Isle of Mull Cheddar for what she said "resulted in the most wondrous cheese sauce", capped by a few drops of white truffle oil.


And Scott of Scott Can Cook seems to have single-handedly kept Neal's Yard in business with his researches into different cheeses - again ending up with a Mac and Montgomery cheddar version.


In fact James of The Cotswold Food Year was the only one not to use Montgomery coming up instead with his wickedly indulgent Truffled Macaroni Bries. (Before you oject, as I did, he points out that he did in fact use St. Eadburgh, a Camembert-style cheese from Gorsehill Abbey Farm. He just liked the play on words of Macaroni Bries ;-)

This category will be judged by Jess Trethowan of Trethowans Dairy who are donating a gift box of artisanal cheeses to the winner.

Mac’n’cheese challenge: most mouthwatering pix

I created this category of the mac’n’cheese challenge for those of you who didn’t particularly want to create their own original recipe but might like to post a picture or series of pictures of a favourite version.

As I’ve mentioned some of the pix that were submitted with the recipes were pretty gorgeous but it seemed fairer to restrict this category to a those who made it a central feature of their entry.

There were three of you:


Gail of One Million Gold Stars made her adaptation of Simon Hopkinson’s tomato-topped recipe in a cute heart-shaped dish


Kavita of Kavey Eats shot a series of photos of a Nigel Slater recipe against a warm red background


And Rob of Eat Pictures, who has the advantage of being a part-time food photographer, created a very flashy slideshow of a version that he had created especially for the challenge to overcome the problems he perceives in shooting mac'n'cheese. (You can read his reasoning here)

Food photographer Marie-Louise Avery (aka marieloua on Twitter) will be judging the entries.

Mac’n’Cheese Challenge: Best drink match entries

So what do you drink with macaroni cheese? We added the drink pairing category as an afterthought at the suggestion of The Wine Sleuth who nobly agreed to judge the entries. In the event there were only four but all interesting ones. Most people would probably reach for a bottle of red but only David Greenman of the Arch House Deli in Bristol suggested that: a Gigondas such as Domaine la Haute Marone would do the trick. "Not too overpowering, fruity, with a tang of spices and herbs and not too expensive it would perfectly complement a macaroni cheese made with a strong cheese such as Lincolnshire Poacher or a Keens Cheddar." (David doesn't have a blog so I've listed his entry here - scroll down to the end of the post)

Two of you suggested white wines: Andrew Barrow of Spittoon an English white to go with his version of macaroni cheese which is finished with parsley and lemon zest - Oakengrove Vineyard Dry White 2006 which he said ‘worked perfectly’ as a ‘delicious palate cleanser leaving you wanting more of both the wine and the food. (The Spanish red he tried was less successful, he said)

Lucy Bridgers opted for a white burgundy with her more classic ‘mac’ on her blog Wine, Food and Other Pleasures- a Rully 1er Cru 2000 Les Cloux from Vincent Girardin which she said was “absolutely delicious with the rich macaroni cheese: luxurious, yet poised and elegant.”

And Garlic Confit also went for a contrasting style of wine - a Provençal rosé on his/her blog - a Chateau Du Galoupet, Cru Classé Rosé, 2008, Côtes de Provence which he/she (I'm not sure which) reckons is the perfect pairing for a classic mac.

My only disappointment was that there weren’t any beer or cider entries. I think the latter, in particular makes a great match for macaroni cheese.

Denise of Wine Sleuth will be judging the entries this week and the winner will receive a copy of my Cheese Course book!

What do you like to drink with your mac'n'cheese. Do you prefer white to red and if so what type? Or would you reach for a beer or a cider?

Mac'n'cheese mania

Well, the challenge finally closed with a rush of late entries and if you needed any proof that we're a nation fixated on macaroni cheese this contest provided it in spades. 35 of you found time to enter - 23 in the best original recipe category, 3 for the best photograph(s), 5 for the best use of artisanal cheese and 4 suggested drink pairings.

All pose their problems for the judges. The range of ideas in the original recipe category from a Tex Mex mac to a chocolate one (no kidding!) will make Xanthe Clay's and Marlena Spieler's task a tough one. On the other hand it would have been good to have had more entries in the photo and wine pairing categories but as we had some great entries I've decided to award a prize nonetheless.

Some of you may feel that the pictures in some of the recipe submissions are worth of inclusion. I'm inclined to agree but as I didn't invite you all to enter more than one category I don't think we can take them into account. Sorry - those of you who took great photos will just have to bask in the admiration of your peers.

What's going to happen now is that I'm going to put up a series of posts on the entries in each category over the next couple of days then will confer with the judge(s) for that section to come up with a winner. The bad news is that I didn't manage to persuade Emma Bridgewater of the worthiness of our cause (a decision it inexplicably took them two weeks to reach) so they won't be donating us their very splended mac and cheese dish but as I don't want to disappoint you I'm going to get one for the winner anyway.

To kick off the coverage here are three recipe entries which were submitted directly and did not appear on blogs and one drink suggestion. The first two are for the original recipe category, Ms MarmiteLover's for the Artisan Cheese one.

Macaroni cheese with Welsh Rarebit topping
This comes from Elly Curshen of the Pear Café in Bristol

Ingredients

For topping:
25g butter
25g flour
150ml milk
150g mature cheddar cheese, grated
150ml Sharp's Doombar Cornish beer
1 tsp English mustard powder
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
2 egg yolks

For cheese sauce:
25g butter
25g flour
200ml warm milk
2 tsp senap (slightly sweet Swedish mustard - I used a semi grainy one)
150g grated mature cheddar cheese

250g (dry weight) macaroni

Method

Make rarebit topping first;

1. Make a roux with the butter and flour, and leave to cool.
2. Bring the milk to the boil, then whisk it into the roux. Bring to the boil once again, whisking to make sure there are no lumps.
3. Add the cheese, beat in and remove from the heat.
4. Reduce the beer, English mustard and Worcestershire sauce until you are left with approx 2 tablespoons of thick liquid then add this mixture to the cheese sauce. Season well with salt and pepper and beat in both the egg yolks.
5. Leave to one side

Next, make the cheese sauce;
1. Make a roux with the butter and flour, and leave to cool.
2. Bring the milk to the boil, then whisk it into the roux. Bring to the boil once again, whisking to make sure there are no lumps.
3. Add the cheese and mustard, beat in and remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta (3 minutes less than stated on packet, so it is just a little underdone)

When pasta is cooked, drain and add to pan of cheese sauce, stirring well to coat.
Pour into a baking dish (needs to have capacity of approx 2 litres)
Spread the rarebit topping on top of the pasta and bake for 15 minutes at 180, followed by 4-5 minutes under a hot grill, to really crisp up the top!

Serve with peas and the rest of the bottle of Doombar!

copyright Elly Curshen 2010

Mex and Cheese
From Julie Broczkowski of The Magic Fridge, a catering company in Ottawa. (Yes, the fame of the Mac'n'cheese challenge spread that far!)

I adore Mexican food, and this is my Mex take on Mac&Cheese.... Mex and Cheese? I am a cook, not a recipe writer, so my measurements leave something to be desired.

12 oz. (1 box) of whole wheat macaroni (cooked and drained)
A big blob of butter (1/4 cup?)
An onion, chopped finely
1 tablespoon of finely chopped or pressed garlic, 2-3 large cloves
Enough flour to soak up the butter, until the mixture still flows, but not quickly
3-4 cups of milk, depending on how thick you like your sauce
3-4 cups grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, or a mixture
½ cup cream cheese
2-3 tablespoons Epicure Selections Nacho Cheese Dip Mix (only available in Canada) or nacho/fajita/taco seasoning
1 can (19oz) lentils, drained and rinsed
1 can (3.5 oz., I think) chopped green chiles (I use Old El Paso brand)

Melt butter in a pan, sauté onion for 3-5 minutes until very soft and slightly browned. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add flour and stir briskly to combine well; cook for 2-3 minutes. Pour in 2 cups of milk and whisk briskly. Cook until it thickens, then add more milk until it is the consistency you like (the cheese will make it even thicker, so take that into account). Stir in 2 cups of grated cheese and add the cream cheese. Whisk and/or stir until cheeses are melted and combined. Add seasoning, lentils and green chiles. Add cooked macaroni, stir well, and pour into a large greased casserole. I like to use a wide shallow one for a better crunchy topping to macaroni ratio. Top with the rest of the grated cheese and bake 20-30 minutes at 400° until cheese is bubbly. If it isn’t browning on its own, put it under the broiler for a minute. Wait 5 minutes to let it cool a tiny bit before serving.

Ms Marmite Lover's mac and cheese
This is the mac and cheese I made with Greens of Glastonbury cheddar for my 9/11/I love New York night. The cheese was very strong but one person said it was the best she'd ever had . . .

Boil 500g of large macaroni in salted water. Slightly undercook, they will continue to cook when baked. Drain and spread the macaroni on a baking pan or large oven proof dish. In another pan: put in half a pack of unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons of flour, sauce flour if you have it. Stir it around, making sure it doesn't burn. Then gradually add 250ml of full cream milk till the sauce becomes a thick liquid. Then add 600ml of double cream, 300g of strong cheddar such as Montgomery or Greens of Glastonbury. Add a large tablespoon of french grain mustard or any mustard you have. You can also add a few shavings of nutmeg if you wish.When the cheese is melted you can take this off the heat. Pour the sauce on the macaroni.Bake for 10 minutes on a medium heat. Add another 100 or 200 grams of cheddar on top. Bake or grill for another ten minutes.

Other options: I like to add green pickled peppercorns which adds heat and bite. Pretty much everything can be changed in this recipe...it's just an indication. You don't have to use cheddar. Use whatever you have in the fridge. You can make it slimming by using half fat milk and replacing the cream. But really this is a lovely comforting winter's dish, perfect for in front of the telly watching something a bit crap like 'I'm a celebrity' or 'Big Brother'. It's great duvet food.

And if you wanna get fancy schmancy, serve with salad - rocket or lambs lettuce with walnut oil and lemon juice and a lovely white wine such as gewurztraminer.

And a wine pairing suggestion from David Greenman of the Arch House Deli in Bristol

On your best drink match for Macaroni Cheese, I’d suggest a 2005 Gigondas such as Domaine la Haute Marone. Not too overpowering, fruity, with a tang of spices and herbs and not too expensive. Better value than a Chateauneuf. Would perfectly complement a macaroni cheese made with a strong cheese such as Lincolnshire Poacher or a Keens Cheddar.

Ultimate mac’n’cheese: the state of play

As those of you who’ve followed the Challenge on Twitter will know I’ve extended the deadline for a week - to give a few hard core mac’n’cheese enthusiasts who I know have been struggling to meet the deadline a bit more time to get their entries in (and to see if I can line up the prizes without dipping too heavily into my own pocket!)

The prize I’m after is this brilliant mac’n’cheese dish from Emma Bridgwater which will go (if I can persuade them to donate it) to the creator of the most original recipe.

Of equal if not even greater desirability is the cheese selection being offered by the lovely people at Trethowan’s Dairy which will include their own Gorwydd Caerphilliy, Stichelton, Keen’s cheddar and Ragstone, which will go to the winner of the best use of artisanal cheese category. But as things stand (see below) there aren’t enough entries to justify awarding a separate prize.

The same applies to the picture category and winematching category but if there’s a sudden late rush of entrants - and I hope there is - each of those prizewinners will get a copy of my Cheese Course book.

So far we’ve had 17 entries, 12 of which are in the original recipe category, 3 for photographs, 2 for artisanal cheese and 1 wine pairing Three have sent them in by email, the rest - and you may have spotted some - have been posted on blogs

So if you think your recipe for macaroni cheese is the best, have a brilliant idea for what kind of artisanal cheese to use in it or type of drink to pair with it, you’ve got another week to get your ideas winging my way (the deadline is now 11.59 pm on Sunday January 24th). You could be the supreme mac’n’cheese champion!

The Ultimate Macaroni Cheese Challenge kicks off now!

OK, now you can't face another mouthful of roast turkey in any guise it's time to get cracking on creating the Ultimate Macaroni Cheese as announced in my post of December 17th.

To recap you can enter any of the following 4 categories (I've just added an extra one) though not the same entry in each category

* Best original recipe - meaning original as in invented by you rather than wacky/off the wall. We’re not particularly looking for recipes that include fish sauce though I wouldn’t rule them out.

* Most mouthwatering mac’n’cheese pic
That gives you scope to make someone else’s macaroni cheese (Simon Hopkinson’s seems to be a strong contender so far) and create a drop-dead gorgeous photo - or series of photos - of it

* Best use of artisanal cheese
Let’s celebrate the fact we have some of the best cheeses in the world in the UK by challenging you to use them in your macaroni cheese. A good category to enter if you like your mac'n'cheese plain and unadorned

* Best drink match
This was suggested by Denise Medrano aka The Wine Sleuth for mac'n'cheese loving winos - or beer or cider lovers. Don't feel you have to limit yourself to wine. What's the perfect way to wash down your macaroni cheese?

The judges will be Denise for this last category, cookery writer Xanthe Clay of the Daily Telegraph who will judge the recipe category, food photographer Marie-Louise Avery who will decide who has submitted the best pic or series of pix and Jess Trethowan of Trethowan's Dairy (makers of Gorwydd Caerphilly) who will judge the best use of artisanal cheese. (I've also recruited food writer Marlena Spieler who reminds me she has written a whole book on Macaroni cheese.) There will be a prize for each winner which I'll announce shortly once I've done a bit more arm-twisting.

Post your recipe/photo/drink match on your blog with a link to this post - letting me know, obviously, that you've done so - or send it to me at fibeckett AT live DOT com (see contact details on the blog). The closing date is January 18th. (NOW EXTENDED TO 11.59PM ON THE 24TH as there are a lot of entries in the pipeline that haven't made it through!)

Good luck!

The Ultimate Macaroni Cheese Challenge

Yesterday’s post on macaroni cheese provoked such an outpouring of passion on this blog and on Twitter I thought it would be fun to have a post-Christmas Macaroni (aka Mac’n’Cheese) Challenge to see if we can come up with the ultimate version.

I’ve decided there will be 3 categories, each of which will win a prize which I will scrounge from various sources including the long-suffering publisher of my cheese book (quick opportunity for a plug) Ryland, Peters & Small. They are:

* Best original recipe - meaning original as in invented by you rather than wacky/off the wall. We’re not particularly looking for recipes that include fish sauce though I wouldn’t rule them out.

* Most mouthwatering mac’n’cheese pic
That gives you scope to make someone else’s macaroni cheese (Simon Hopkinson’s seems to be a strong contender so far) and create a drop-dead gorgeous photo of it

* Best use of artisanal cheese
Let’s celebrate the fact we have some of the best cheeses in the world in the UK by challenging you to use them in your macaroni cheese. A good category to enter if you like your mac'n'cheese plain and unadorned

There will be an appropriate prize for each and a judge for each category who I haven’t yet identified but will announce when I do. The competition will be launched on December 28th to give you something to do after Christmas apart from going to the sales but you can obviously start thinking about it now. Post your recipe/photo on your blog with a link to this post - or send it to me via the contact email on this blog.

Fun, eh? Get thinking . . .

I say macaroni, you say mac'n'cheese

Apart from the name - mac'n'cheese in the US, macaroni cheese in Britain - is there a difference in this homely pasta dish either side of the pond? The main one, judging from my recent trip to New York is that you Americans like breadcrumbs on the top - you rarely have it that way in the UK.

Yanks being so much better at comfort food than us I was hoping to find the ultimate mac'n'cheese but only one came near that from the cheese-centred brasserie Artisanal (above) which serves it in two sizes for a main course and a side. Having already tried their French onion soup (3 types of onion and 3 cheeses. Very good) I settled for the side which was about the size of a British main course. It wasn't quite piquant enough for my taste - I like a bit of mustard and Worcestershire sauce in there - but it did have this great crust of crispy, buttered, faintly cheesy crumbs - a good addition.

I was even more excited about going to a dedicated mac'n'cheese restaurant called S'Mac in East Village - and so was everyone else it seemed. On a Saturday lunchtime there was a lengthy queue to even get into the place but once I saw the dishes that were being taken to the tables - and spotted one of the chefs coming in with large plastic bags of pre-grated cheese I decided against it. It looked like deep dish pizza - shame as some of the riffs on macaroni cheese looked fun.

Another side of mac'n'cheese (served oddly with a sandwich at City Winery which does a weekly cheese brunch) failed for being too claggy - the sauce should be light rather than dense IMO, which means adding a little more milk than you might think it merits - but without,of course, making it thin.

In my new book I experimented with two types - an Extra-Crispy Macaroni Cheese where you make cheddar crisps and break them up in the sauce for extra crunch and a extra healthy one made with semi-skimmed milk and added greens - both yummy, I think. I also like it made with leeks and bacon or ham but how do these additions go down with you?

In short what makes the perfect mac/macaroni cheese? Best type of cheese(s)? Best added ingredients - or none at all? What type of seasoning? A crunchy crust or a crispy one? Over to you!

Two brilliant cheese dishes

It’s been a good week for cheese. Not individual cheeses for once but two brilliant cheese dishes I’ve eaten in restaurants. (Apologies for the dreadful quality of the pictures - both places were very dark)

The first was an oyster rarebit at Wright’s Oyster and Porter House in Borough Market. Such a simple and brilliant idea. The rarebit which had a good mustardy kick was cut into three fingers, each topped with an raw oyster - presumably well drained of its juice. Both elements - oyster and rarebit were perfect with the accompanying cool, velvety glass of Guinness. Bliss.

The second was last night at Bell’s Diner in Bristol, one of my favourite locals and was frankly the best macaroni cheese I’ve ever eaten. Outrageously rich and creamy, it came in a small cocotte, sprinkled with shavings of Perigord truffle and surrounded by wild mushrooms (chanterelles at a guess) over a scattering of cress. The sommelier Lionel partnered it with a glass of 2004 Chateau de Chorey Chorey-les-Beaune which was perfect.

The great thing about both dishes was that neither was expensive - even with the truffles and mushrooms the macaroni cheese was only £15.50, cheaper than any of the other mains. And both would be do-able at home. (If I manage to prise the recipe out of Chris Wicks, the chef I'll let you know . . .)