Macaroni cheese

Labman_2

hollydays wrote: »

which is strongeset-french or english

English....by a long way! Totally different flavours though.

aimme13

well definately sure it needs mature cheddar, but still unsure about the mustard?? i used french as i thought that was milder, was always told english was strong. so still deciding about the mustard! have frozen some so will see how it turns out from the freezer, anyway kids survived and my son asked for more when he got home from school:-)

TheFlyingGerbil

I remember someone on here (sorry I can't remember who to give them credit!) suggested using marmite in the cheese sauce to bring out the flavour of the cheese. This really works well if you only have a bit of cheese left or only a mild flavoured one.

Joe

aimme13

not heard of that one, but none of us eat marmite! thanks anyway

destiny_star2006

My pregnancy is making me really really want some macaroni cheese like it used to be at school lol so i was wondering whats the most easiest simpliest way of making macaroni cheese so its nice and cheesy but not too much cheesy more creamy than anything then i was thinking of adding some breadcrumbs on top to give it diff texture any ideas please would be greatly received as hopefully will buy these tomorow when out shopping

p.s please remember i carnt cook v well so only very easy simple to follow recipes/ instructions please i.e no measurements lmao

Bargain_Rzl

Hi DS

This recipe is the one I use - paraphrased from a book my mum got me when I left home.

Cook 250g macaroni as per the packet instructions.

Meanwhile heat 25g butter in a pan and stir in 25g flour for a couple of mins. Add 450ml milk gradually and mix in. When it starts to thicken, remove from the heat and stir in 150g grated Cheddar. Add 1tsp Dijon mustard or Lea & Perrins, or 1/4 tsp Tabasco (I ALWAYS use the mustard version - it's gorgeous!) Take off the heat and mix with the drained macaroni.

Grease an ovenproof dish and pour in the macaroni mixture. Top with a mixture of 25g cheddar and 2tbsp breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven (gas 6, 200C, 400F) for 20 mins or so until brown on top (or if you've managed to keep everything nice and hot, don't bother with the oven, just bung under the grill for 5 mins).

I tend to make double quantities of this recipe (to serve 4 hungry people) and serve with green salad or peas.

destiny_star2006

ooohh that sounds lovely thanks v much just scared with all the numbers now

Bargain_Rzl

No, seriously, it's dead easy

If you don't have kitchen scales they're available v. cheap, or you can work it out as a proportion of the packet (250g macaroni tends to be half a bag, for example)

(P.S. I'm originally from Durham too :hello:)

Edited to say: OK, if measuring stuff seems daunting, look at it like this: the first time you make it, do the measurements - then the next time you make it, you'll basically KNOW how much of everything you need

Pink.

Hi destiny_star,

Congratulations on your pregnancy.

I've added your thread to the main thread on macaroni cheese to keep all the recipes together. This thread might help too:

macaroni cheese....help and advice please

Pink

Stephen_Leak

destiny_star2006 wrote: »

My pregnancy is making me really really want some macaroni cheese like it used to be at school lol so i was wondering whats the most easiest simpliest way of making macaroni cheese so its nice and cheesy but not too much cheesy more creamy than anything then i was thinking of adding some breadcrumbs on top to give it diff texture any ideas please would be greatly received as hopefully will buy these tomorow when out shopping

p.s please remember i carnt cook v well so only very easy simple to follow recipes/ instructions please i.e no measurements lmao

Try this dead simple recipe for the cheese sauce part of the dish.

It can probably be "tweaked" to make it cheesier (add cheese and/or subtract milk) or creamier (add milk and/or subtract cheese). I presume you've got the best part of nine months to get it just right.

2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons plain flour
500 ml (1 pint) of milk
75 grams (3 ounces)* of grated mature cheese
Salt & pepper to taste

The quantities given make just over 500 ml (1 pint). The trick with sauces is to keep stirring.

Put the butter in a saucepan. Melt over a moderate heat. Mix in the flour and cook for a minute, stirring all the time. Take off the heat. Add the milk a bit at a time. Stir each time to make sure that it is smooth. When all the milk is added, put it back on the heat and bring it to the boil. Keep stirring. Turn the heat right down and simmer gently for 2 minutes, stirring all the time. Take off the heat. Grate the cheese. Add the cheese to the sauce and mix, until the cheese has melted into the sauce. Season to taste.

* You can figure this out from the size of the block of cheese. It is one-quarter of a 300 gram block, for example. If you have a 250 gram block, use one-quarter and add a slice for luck.

For the macaroni bit, just boil the pasta as in the cooking instructions on the packet. Drain and gently mix with the cheese sauce in a flat ovenproof dish. As above, finish off either in the oven or under the grille until the top of the cheese is golden brown.