Cheese-milk's leap toward immortality ~ Clifton Fadiman

Only one post this week, after next week I will get back to a normal posting schedule. I am headed off to the beach this weekend with my beautiful girlfriends that I lived and went to school with. They are both graduating, CONGRATULATIONS!, and we are going to have a wonderful time being together. April and May always seem to be the busiest in my life. So much activity, it is hard to sit still and write sometimes. Thank you all for keeping up with and reading this blog. I invite you all to send me suggestions of things you’d like to see made, or even some of your own experiences. 

Now please enjoy the post of the week.

A few weekends ago, I dug back for my “Good Ole’ Southern Cooking” roots. I made Homemade Macaroni and Cheese, and Fried Chicken. I sautéd fresh greens from the garden and had them on the side. I didn’t go full out with the mashed potatoes and gravy, but those would also have been a great addition to the meal. I have never made macaroni and cheese. I have made the Kraft version of Mac n’ Cheese, but we all know that cheese doesn’t look like that. So, excluding Kraft, I have never made the real thing. My Mother used to cook one that I never ate, because my palate was not as educated as it is now. Over the years taste buds change and now that I enjoy Cheese, I wanted to search out a few Macaroni and Cheese recipes, try and go with one I liked, or was very popular on the web. I went with a popular recipe and only made a few substitutions due to the high cost of cheese today.

I do not eat a lot of meat, which at some point in the future we will talk about, but even I cannot resist amazing home-fried chicken. Tender, juicy, crunchy on the outside, what is not to like? My usual method of preparation is to dredge the chicken in flour with spices, then buttermilk, then again with flour.  I heat up the oil and fry until it is done. But this time, I read about infusing fresh herbs and spices into the oil while heating it, creating an even juicier and more flavorful end result. I crushed a few garlic heads, threw in fresh rosemary sprigs and thyme (complements of the garden), and slowly heated the oil. Then I continued to cook everything else, and lets just say there were no leftovers. The infused oil really added more flavor than I anticipated, and again I am so pleased with the end result I will always fry my chicken this way now.

Here is the recipe for the Macaroni and Cheese and a picture to go with it. The substitutions I made for the Mac and Cheese: 12 ounces Cheddar, 8 ounces Gruyere. Mixture of regular bread crumbs, and torn up bread.

Barefoot Contessa's Mac and Cheese  - Yields 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
* Kosher salt
    * Vegetable oil
    * 1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
    * 1 quart milk
    * 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
    * 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
    * 12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
    * 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
    * 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    * 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    * 3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
    * 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
- Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.
- Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh breadcrumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.