Macaroni Cheese - how do you make yours?

[wiskey]

No grilled crispy breadcrumbs and browned cheese on top?

breadcrumbs??

and yes to crispy cheese!

 

[danny la rouge]

Heat some butter, add some flour to make a rue

add milk (slowly)

Add cheese

Elizabeth David is in the house!

 

[fogbat]

No grilled crispy breadcrumbs and browned cheese on top?

Crushed cornflakes are good for a crispy topping, too.

Frosties, not so much.

 

[tarannau]

Extra breadcrumb crunch ftw! Gives a really nice texture with the softer pasta underneath.

Otherwise my recipe's pretty much similar to others here.

 

[zenie]

Heat some butter, add some flour to make a rue

add milk (slowly)

Add cheese

'ark at him and his 'rue'

 

[danny la rouge]

'ark at him and his 'rue'

He was on The Restaurant last night, wasn't he?

Grilled pairs.

 

[sojourner]

No grilled crispy breadcrumbs and browned cheese on top?

I've never done breadcrumbs on top of anything, til I did that spinach and chickpea gratin, and they were lovely with some cheese mixed in

Question - silly one but there you go. How do you do your breadcrumbs? I ended up leaving a slice of bread out to get stale enough to grate it, then used the large-holed bit of the grater to do them, but it was a right pain in the arse for very few breadcrumbs

 

[sojourner]

He was on The Restaurant last night, wasn't he?

Grilled pairs.

You'll roux the day you said that

 

[danny la rouge]

You'll roux the day you said that

You've spoiled it with spelling!

 

[tarannau]

I've never done breadcrumbs on top of anything, til I did that spinach and chickpea gratin, and they were lovely with some cheese mixed in

Question - silly one but there you go. How do you do your breadcrumbs? I ended up leaving a slice of bread out to get stale enough to grate it, then used the large-holed bit of the grater to do them, but it was a right pain in the arse for very few breadcrumbs

Stick the bread in a food whizzer - the leftover solid bread ends get used up fast enough. Or the grater's fine, if messy. TBH, sliced bread never does work that well - old baguette ends seem to work better for example.

 

[Orang Utan]

I've never done breadcrumbs on top of anything, til I did that spinach and chickpea gratin, and they were lovely with some cheese mixed in

Question - silly one but there you go. How do you do your breadcrumbs? I ended up leaving a slice of bread out to get stale enough to grate it, then used the large-holed bit of the grater to do them, but it was a right pain in the arse for very few breadcrumbs

I whizz it up when it's fresh - in my housebread goes mouldy before it goes stale

ETA - sliced works fine for me

 

[Biddlybee]

@ soj

Depends what I fancy as to how I make it. Generally pasta shapes (that aren't macaroni - they're too small ), mixed with cheese sauce and bacon - cheese on top then crisp it in the oven. Other times, chuck in some leeks, some onions, or just plain old cheese sauce.

Another version is putting a layer of browned mince and onions on the bottom of the dish, then the pasta then a layer of cheese sauce, cheese topping and crisp in the oven, that was my gran's way of doing macaroni

 

[onenameshelley]

boil your mac, make your basic beschemel (cant spell it but can make it), add your choice of cheese to the sauce, mascapone +chedder for me.

Mean while chop some bacon and a large leek, crisp your bacon, then put it all together in oven dish whack in oven till crispy on the top.

God i am starving and really want mac and cheese now.

 

[sojourner]

Stick the bread in a food whizzer - the leftover solid bread ends get used up fast enough. Or the grater's fine, if messy. TBH, sliced bread never does work that well - old baguette ends seem to work better for example.

Ahhh, okay, thanks chuck

Grater was a real pain but I thought if I did it in the blender I'd just end up with a piece of bread a bit ragged and not crumby

 

[Orang Utan]

God i am starving and really want mac and cheese now.

Off this thread now with your Americanisms!

 

[ringo]

I never remember to leave bread out to go stale for breadcrumbs. Using fresh bread in a whizzer is OK but not as good, bit too soft, though once toasted I don't suppose it makes much difference. I bought a box of ready made at the supermarket the other week but haven't used them 'cos it kind of goes against the way I like to cook.

I don't know if any of you watched this programme with Jamie Oliver in it that was on last night, but he suggested smashing up a few cream crackers and using them. Spose it might work, but I'd have thought they'd taste different. Might give it a go.

 

[sojourner]

I whizz it up when it's fresh - in my housebread goes mouldy before it goes stale

ETA - sliced works fine for me

We get through masses of bread - daughter lives on toast between meals - get through a loaf every couple of days!

Really? When fresh? I thought it would end up as a doughy mess if I did it from fresh

 

[sojourner]

Off this thread now with your Americanisms!

Just sounds like a McD cheeseburger to me, mac and cheese

 

[Orang Utan]

We get through masses of bread - daughter lives on toast between meals - get through a loaf every couple of days!

Really? When fresh? I thought it would end up as a doughy mess if I did it from fresh

I buy bread just for making crumbs cos I rarely eat it at other times, so dead fresh

 

[fogbat]

Just sounds like a McD cheeseburger to me, mac and cheese

Has anyone else tried the Kraft mac and cheese stuff that comes in a box?

I was expecting some awful, junk-food yumminess, and the radioactive orange colour was promising, but it tasted of fuck-all

 

[Orang Utan]

Just sounds like a McD cheeseburger to me, mac and cheese

Quite - I hate it when people say Maccy Ds as well. Grow up!

 

[fogbat]

Quite - I hate it when people say Maccy Ds as well. Grow up!

Bless you, LTC.

I sometimes worry that I'm far too grumpy, curmudgeonly and intolerant, then I read your posts and realise I'm not really that bad

 

[sojourner]

Has anyone else tried the Kraft mac and cheese stuff that comes in a box?

I'd rather pull my own toenails out tbh

I'd tried tinned macaroni cheese in my 20s and it made me retch.

 

[sojourner]

Quite - I hate it when people say Maccy Ds as well. Grow up!

lol! I remember when someone first said it to me years ago, and I looked at them all bewildered wondering what they meant It had to be explained to me

 

[onenameshelley]

Off this thread now with your Americanisms!

oi i am conserving my energy..with less letters...very weak....*expires*

 

[Orang Utan]

oi i am conserving my energy..with less letters...very weak....*expires*

It's the 'and' that bothers me the most - there's no 'and'!

 

[sojourner]

oi i am conserving my energy..with less letters...very weak....*expires*

what clyde said - plus...there's only two extra letters if you give it its proper name

and

aroni

 

[onenameshelley]

It's the 'and' that bothers me the most - there's no 'and'!

ok fair point i shall take the slap on the back of my hands now

When i was little i didnt like eating things at other peoples houses, except Macaroni Linda's house, even though now as an adult i know what linda's real name is i still call her Macaroni linda.

 

[onenameshelley]

what clyde said - plus...there's only two extra letters if you give it its proper name

and

aroni

*takes her slap from soj too*

Sorry can someone now please give me food....still about to expire from lack of carbs

 

[tarannau]

If your bread goes mouldy before it crumbs, then chances are that you're using shite chorleywood bread. That said, things like the baguettes on offer seem to go suitably rock hard. And, to be honest, the prepackaged breadcrumbs ain't terrible either, not great but if you're only buying sliced supermarket bread as rule they're a good standby.

Clyde - the Portuguese deli on Atlantic sells fresh bags of breadcrumbs, no doubt from the unsold bread the day before.