This Is What Illinois Folks Really Enjoy Putting In Their Chili
Macaroni And Cheese: Experts Reveal How To Make An Exceptionally Tasty Dish
CLEVELAND, Ohio – After eating my way through 18 interpretations of mac 'n' cheese at the Mac 'N' Cheese Throwdown this month, I know there's not one perfect macaroni and cheese recipe. There are many. Different people like different things, and different moods inspire different cravings.
RELATED: Mac 'N' Cheese Throwdown declares winners, raises money for W.A.G.S. 4 Kids - cleveland.Com
Given a choice, I'm a mac 'n' cheese snob, seeking out unusual cheese blends and toppings. But I'll eat bright orange Kraft macaroni and cheese, though not because I find it particularly good. It's familiar from my childhood and dredges up good memories. That, I guess, makes it a comfort food.
Great grown-up mac 'n' cheese is, though, the ultimate comfort food ... A creamy combination of carbs, cheese and savory additions. And I can always use more comfort.
While I was judging mac 'n' cheese creations at the Throwdown, a sold-out fundraiser for Working Animals Giving Service for Kids (W.A.G.S. 4 Kids), a crowd filled two rooms at The Madison event center in Cleveland. They were gathering information about their faves as well.
I couldn't let all that tasting research go to waste (though it went to waist, lol), so I talked to several experts for advice on making the comfiest version of the dish.
The Madison event center was quiet while chef's set up tasting stations. (Photo by Paris Wolfe)
Pink Piggy BBQ, a Macedona-based food truck and catering company, made the judges' favorite modern mac 'n' cheese. "Modern" simply meant makers could add more than just macaroni and cheese. Their version was a brisket, burnt-end mac 'n' cheese.
"Everything we cook starts at home. We start with basic recipes and add favorite ingredients to them," said Christina Shahriari, owner and pitmaster. "Our white cheddar mac is a clean, basic recipe with a little kick. We use aged white Cheddar, lots of cream and garlic with our favorite spicy pepper in the mix."
"It has to be a minimum three-year aged cheddar. Parmesan and Asiago add an extra special something, and we think bring out the garlic more," she said.
"I like to showcase my low and slow wood-fired smoked foods with that scrumptious mac and cheese. Pink Piggy BBQ 'Oinker' Rub on burnt ends, pulled pork and pulled chicken make an awesome loaded mac 'n' cheese."
Shahriari's choice of pasta is cavatappi.
"The curly edges soak up the cheese when we add the sauce. Plus, it holds up to the smoked goodness on top," she said.
For home cooks, "Start with simple and yummy, then add your flair. Whether you're a yellow 'Mac'er' or like something more edgy try that new cheese (slowly). Love life and have fun."
Mac n cheese add ins are limited to the imagination. These version added broccoli. (Photo by Paris Wolfe)
When Jose Melendez, owner of Twisted Taino in Parma, put mac 'n' cheese on the menu for a special event recently it did so well with customers that he made it permanent. This year the chef tweaked it a little further. Results surprised him.
"I knew our recipe was special," he said, "but I never expected to be the third best mac 'n' cheese at the Throwdown. After that milestone, we have decided to add our 'Birria mac 'n' cheese' to the daily menu."
Birria is a Mexican-style braised beef that has been trending in taco and quesadilla fillings.
"I wanted to do a Latin twist on mac 'n' cheese," Melendez said. "I guess it worked. I like that it has different layers of flavors, from the poblano cheese sauce made from scratch, building with the flavors from charred poblanos, garlic, onion powder, Monterrey-pepper jack cheese as well as the Birria with hints of cinnamon, guajillo peppers, chipotle and finishing with chopped cilantro and onions. It's just an explosion of flavors that remind you of Mexico in every bite."
The recipe came from experimenting in the kitchen.
"I am Puerto Rican, and my wife, Chef Cristina, is Mexican," he says. "We have been offering Birria tacos with Christina's Birria recipe for about two years. We've been told it is one of the best Birria people have had in Greater Cleveland. With that, we started to experiment with flavors and making sure we had the perfect cheese sauce for the mix."
Christina uses elbow or farfalle pasta shapes because the cheese sauce sticks well.
"I focused on the flavor profile, though a good melting cheese is a must," she said. "For the Birria mac 'n' cheese we use cream cheese, mozzarella and Monterrey jack. Not only do they melt well but add great flavor profile."
The complete recipe, though, is secret. She recommends trial and error to develop a recipe. "Mac 'n' cheese is not really a Latin forte. However, I looked into original baked mac 'n' cheese recipes online, and from there I knew the foundation and basics," she said. "Then we started experimenting with substitutes and flavors and kept trying until we got it. Just keep working on your recipe until you are happy with it and see a smile in others when they try it."
Mac n cheese can be made with a variety of cheeses. (Photos by Sera Nelson)
It only makes sense to add a cheese monger to a mac 'n' cheese story. Kandice Marchant of Marchant Manor Cheese Shop in Cleveland Heights is a fan of the popular dish.
"I make the Alton Brown baked mac 'n' cheese as well as a no-boil mac 'n' cheese from the New York Times," she said. "The no-boil recipe includes puréed cottage cheese and cream as well as cheddar for a lovely texture that you can get without boiling the noodles."
Of course, she recommends Marchant Manor Hathaway cottage cheese because it uses rich Guernsey cream and creme fraiche.
For a fancy version, Marchant recommends (and sells) sharp cheddar, parmesan and blue cheeses. And for an everyday version she suggests cheddar and provolone. Her advice to aspiring aficionados is, "Grate your own cheese. Packaged, pre-grated cheeses include cornstarch and anti-caking agents that can inhibit smooth melting."
It's no surprise that Sera Nelson, who coordinates the Throwdown and is executive director of W.A.G.S 4 Kids, has her own interpretation of mac 'n' cheese.
"My recipes has been passed from my grandma Jeanne Goodman to my mom Wendy Crann and now to me," she said. "I have always loved all of our competitors and what they bring to the table. But - there's no place like home."
Sera Nelson's family recipe for mac 'n' cheese. (Photo by Sera Nelson)
Sera Nelson's Mac 'n' Cheese
8 oz Velveeta
4 oz Fontina, grated
4 oz smoked gouda, grated
8 oz sharp Cheddar, grated
2 oz pecorino Romano, grated finely
2 tsp – 1 tbsp. (to taste) Brown Mustard (or 1/2 - 1 tsp dry mustard)
1/2 - 2 tsp garlic powder (to taste)
1/2 tsp black pepper (to taste)
1 tbsp freshly chopped basil (NOT DRY)
4 c heavy cream (alt half + half)
8 oz bag tortellini, dried
16 oz bag orecchiette, dried
OPTIONAL: Cooked bacon, mushrooms, onions or other meat/vegetable add-ins
Cook pasta separately until on the hard side of al dente, as it will continue to cook in the colander. Strain and set aside.
Grate cheeses. Set aside ¼ of fontina, gouda and cheddar, plus ½ Romano cheeses. You will use this for topping later.
Cut Velveeta into one-inch cubes. Place in large, heavy-bottom saucepan. Add heavy cream. Place over medium heat and begin to stir as cheese melts.
Add pepper, garlic powder and mustard, continuing to stir.
Add all cheeses not set aside and fresh basil. Continue to stir.
When all cheese has melted, turn heat to high and bring to a boil, while stirring. Immediately turn to low and stir, making sure cheese doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
After three minutes add pasta to the mixture in the pot. Add any options like bacon. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
NOTE: If preparing for later - let it cool completely, cover and refrigerate.
Pour pasta into casserole dish or lasagna pan and place on cookie sheet. Sprinkle leftover cheeses over top.
Turn oven to broil. Place pan under broiler for five minutes or until brown. Watch so it doesn't burn.
Let casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Paris Wolfe is a life and culture reporter for Cleveland.Com. She has a special interest in food and dining. You can reach her with restaurant and food news and story ideas at pwolfe@cleveland.Com. Here's a directory of her latest posts. Follow her on Instagram @pariswolfe.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
Our Best-ever Comfort Food Recipes To Soothe Your Soul
By loveFOOD Staff of Lovefood< PREVIOUS SLIDE SLIDE 1 of 61 NEXT SLIDE >Check out this collection of satisfying recipes you can eat year round, with easy one-pots, creamy, cheesy pasta dishes, indulgent bakes and perfect pies.
© Waitrose & Partners/loveFOODKFC Has (Finally) Entered The Chicken Nugget Game And We Got An Early Taste
KFC is one of those fast food brands that stands out. Pressure-cooker deep-fried Original Recipe chicken, savory biscuits, mashed potatoes and brown gravy, maybe a little mac 'n cheese, and coleslaw were the cornerstone of many of our childhoods. It was cheap, fast, and just good enough to to create a sense of nostalgia. But Kentucky Fried Chicken never really dipped its toes into the chicken nugget game. They had Popcorn Chicken, sure, and there are tenders galore. But the chicken nugg was always strangely absent…
Until now. Duh-duh-dunnnnn.
Yes, KFC has finally added a Nugget to its iconic menu. And it's not just any chicken nugget, KFC Nuggets are a cut above the rest of the nuggets that crowd the fast food market. Spoiler alert: KFC has eschewed the standard ground chicken nuggets and is using real-deal white chicken meat. It's a clear swipe at Chick-Fil-A's and Popeyes' nuggs, which makes this whole affair a little more exciting than expected.
I was lucky enough to get to try some KFC Nuggets directly from the source at their test kitchen in Louisville, Kentucky — a perk of living nearby, I suppose, and a reminder that KFC does have its roots in KY. I got to make some and even try them with every KFC dipping sauce. It was a fun and very filling day of fast food fantasy camp (Double Downs were eaten, folks). So let's cut the preamble short and dive right into my full, in-depth review of the brand-new KFC Nuggets!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Food Posts From The Last 6 Months
How Are KFC Nuggets Made? Zach JohnstonThe key to the new KFC Nuggets is that they're made with brined chicken breast meat. The morsels are brined in a proprietary brine off-site and shipped to stores ready for breading and frying.
The raw brined chicken pieces are then dredged in Original Recipe breading (literally from the exact same bag that's used for the fried chicken). This is a game-changer and a wisely intuitive move — Original Recipe breading has stood the test of time for a reason. It's great.
After dredging and sifting, the breaded nuggets go into hot oil for about four minutes of frying. Those hot nuggets then rest in a serving tray until ordered by you.
According to early reports from the test regions that already had the nuggets on the menu, they were so popular that a fresh batch is almost always ready. If not, the nuggets will be removed from the serving trays at the two-hour mark and a fresh batch will be made. But given the general fast turnover at KFC with its food, that's probably not going to be an issue.
How Do KFC Nuggets Taste? Zach JohnstonIn a word, delicious. I'm a huge Original Recipe fan and these deliver that old-school nostalgic factor in bite-sized morsels. The white chicken meat is well-seasoned and very juicy. It's about a million miles away from bland — like some other nuggets out there. (It would be fire if they eventually did dark meat, too!)
Moreover, since this is a small-format bite of food, the outer layer is very crispy. I'll readily admit that Original Recipe chicken at KFC is less crispy than people like sometimes. That's just not the case here. The breading really holds together and gives you a nice crunch even after 15 or so minutes of resting in a serving tray and box.
For me, the use of Original Recipe breading puts these far above Chick-Fil-A's chicken breast nuggets, based on the depth of flavor alone. The crispiness of KFC Nuggets pushes it even further over the top.
What's The Best KFC Nuggets Dipping Sauce? Zach JohnstonI'm going to cut to the quick here. Buffalo Ranch and Honey BBQ are the standouts. I just cannot get behind the KFC Sauce — it tastes too much like Miracle Whip to me. The Classic Ranch was fine. The Honey Mustard had a nice tang to it and would be a solid third choice for me.
All of that said, the Honey BBQ had the perfect sweet counterpoint to the crispy Original Recipe breading and soft seasoned white chicken meat beneath. It was kind of like adding a honey drizzle with a hint of sweet chili to the whole bite.
Zach Johnston Final Thoughts On KFC's Nuggets Zach JohnstonWhile I'm a dark meat Original Recipe stan, I can see ordering these in real life. Obviously, these are geared towards parents getting something easy and off-the-bone for their kids that still tastes like classic KFC. In that case, they hit it out of the park.
I'd also much rather have these than the ground chicken meat versions at Burger King, McDonald's, or Wendy's. They each have their place, don't get me wrong. But this is an actual piece of moist, well-seasoned chicken covered in crispy Original Recipe. That's a hard combo to beat. I'm excited to see where my dude Dane Rivera puts it in his forthcoming nugget re-ranking.
Comments
Post a Comment