Julian Child's Mac And Cheese

My recipe was inspired by my great grandmother Coo Coo's. She used canned mac and cheese as a base that she "doctored up" to something that was truly remarkable. It wasn't the congealed mass of noodles that you normally get: it was just the right amount of soupy and absolutely delicious. Her unique additions of mustard and Worcestershire sauce give this recipe its heart and soul. No two batches are ever the same, and you can even add delicious ingredients like pancetta or lobster to offer something truly special.

I can't help but recognize Ina Garten, the woman whose show literally taught me how to cook. I made her macaroni and cheese once, and although her recipe is hardly unique, I've developed my own from that for years. I have added so much to this in terms of flavor that I have no problem calling it mine, but she always deserves a nod of appreciation.

Ingredients:

1 lb Pasta – Casarecce (preferred) or Tortiglioni

1 quart Half & Half

1/3 Cup All Purpose Flour

1 stick of unsalted butter, divided
4 oz chopped pancetta (not the small slices) - optional

1-2 large eggs (if you don't let the sauce thicken)

Seasonings:
     Dry:

·         1 tbsp Kosher salt (if you don't use Kosher, it will be too salty)

·         1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (if you don't use freshly ground, it will be gross)

·         1 tbsp sugar

·         1 tsp FRESHLY ground nutmeg (freshly ground is VERY VERY important.)

·         ¾ - 1 tsp dry yellow mustard

·         1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

·           ½ - 1 tsp smoked sea salt (optional; I use the regular or a chardonnay oak smoked)

     Wet:

·         1 tsp Dijon mustard

·         Splash of dry white wine or beer (kind of optional; this makes the cheese stickier/smoother)

·         2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

·         ½ tsp white truffle oil (optional)

Cheese:

·         .3-.5 lb grated Parmigiano Reggiano *

·         1.5 lb cheddar cheese, grated ** (I typically put 3 varieties: aged at least 1 year (.7 lb), maple smoked cheddar (.5 lb), and something really, really pungent (.3 lb). These are all approximations, and I usually just try to get the cheese to add up to 1.5 pounds. Adding three varieties gives complexity that you just cannot replicate with one cheese.)

Bread Crumb Topping:

·         1.5 cups Panko/Japanese Bread Crumbs

·         1 tbsp rendered bacon fat (or pancetta fat) with 1 tbsp butter or 2 tbsp of butter (go with the bacon, trust me.)

o   This is the stuff your mom keeps in a jar in the fridge… just snag a little grease the next time you make bacon or roughly chop several slices of bacon and cook in a sauté pan until you get a tbsp of fat from them. See the second part of Step 3 if you want to use pancetta.

Instructions:

1.       Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pre-measure wet and dry seasonings into separate bowls for quicker prep. Grate the cheese if you haven't already.* and **

2.       Place half and half in saucepan and heat on low/simmer. Do not boil. You can heat over a double boiler to make sure you don't overheat it. (It's an old wives' tale that the milk and flour should be of different temperatures. I just think it makes it take 20 minutes for the roux to thicken. If both are hot, it should thicken within a couple of minutes up to ten if your pot isn't hot at all. I can't notice the difference between the two. Trust that I would take the extra time if actually mattered.) If you're inexperienced making a roux, you might want to buy an extra quart of half and half just in case you curdle the first one.

3.      Start the pasta water. When ready (for me, almost exactly when roux is ready), cook pasta as directed on package to the shortest time on the range. Don’t forget to add a splash of oil and a hearty toss of salt to the water. The noodles are almost always done when I need them. If not, wait on them to finish or let them chill in a colander in the sink until you’re ready.

       If you're going to use the pancetta, place it in a small frying pan with a little bit of water and heat it over medium to medium high heat until crispy. Place on paper towels to cool but reserve the fat for the bread crumb topping.

4.       Prepare the roux by melting 6 tbsp butter in hard bottomed pot of at least 5 qt capacity. Add 1/3 cup flour and whisk for a minute or two to cook the flour. You don't want this to get too hot or you will increase your chance of curdling the half and half.

5.       Slowly whisk in hot Half & Half to pot through sieve. I usually add a third and whisk in with the flour mixture and follow it with the rest. If not immediately thick, cook on low to medium low stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until thick (it should be the consistency of Alfredo sauce). (Don't be careless and burn this. It'll make the whole thing gross. If you think it has stuck to the bottom, transfer pots and pour it through a sieve.) Turn off the heat.

6.       Add seasonings. You may have to whisk to incorporate. You can do this before the roux has fully thickened. I pre-measure the seasonings before I start cooking and place the wet and dry in different bowls so I can add them quickly. I also like to whisk up the dry to mix it well because dry mustard likes to clump when added to a sauce.

7.       Add all of the cheddar and 1 cup of Parmesan (if you only have one cup, don't sweat it; just dump it all in there). Stir until almost melted. Taste for flavor. It should be fairly spicy from the cayenne, but don't worry as it will be cut significantly by the noodles. You may need to add more sugar depending on the ruthlessness of the cheese you chose. The most I've added is an additional tablespoon to round out the cheese sauce. If the sauce seems too soupy because you didn't let it thicken enough, add an egg or two but you probably want to temper it by adding a little bit of the cheese sauce to make sure that it doesn't scramble the eggs.

8.       Add warm noodles to cheese sauce (Lobster Mac Variation***). Don’t feel like you have to put the whole pound of noodles in. You want it to be relatively soupy. I use the whole pound with Casarecce noodles and ¾ of a pound with Tortiglioni. Stir in the pancetta if you're using it.

9.       Place into rectangular baking dish. (I use a ceramic 12.5x9.5 or an enameled cast iron roaster.)

(If you want to prepare ahead, stop at this step and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator if you're not cooking within an hour or so.)

10.   For the topping, sprinkle the remaining grated Parmesan OR some more smoked sea salt (about a teaspoon; you can rub it between your fingers and it will become very fine).

11.   Melt 1 tbsp butter with 1 tbsp bacon fat (or just another tbsp of butter) and mix as evenly as possible with bread crumbs using a fork.  Add breadcrumbs to cover the top. I like to have some noodles still coming out of the topping so you know what it is.

12.   Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes (or 40-60 minutes if it was refrigerated) until cheese sauce is bubbling on the sides. If you over-bake it the cheese will separate into grease and cheese solids. You don't want that to happen. Sometimes I'll turn on the boiler to brown the breadcrumbs, but it really doesn't affect the flavor. It's just for looks.

*roughly chop block of Parmesan cheese and process in a food processor using the steel blade and pulse until grated

**cold cheese grates better than room temperature

***variation: add 1-1.5 pounds of lobster meat before adding the noodles. I buy one live 4 pound lobster and boil it for 10-12 minutes in boiling water with 2 lemons, roughly 1 tbsp salt, and a splash of white vinegar (separates meat from shell). I boil the lobster first and harvest the meat. (I reserve the olive for a wonderful mayonnaise mustard dip for shrimp and crab legs.) You might want to alter the seasonings a bit to taste. I would not add any sugar, cayenne, fennel, or truffle oil because they would compete with the lobster flavor rather than complement it, but you can use your own judgement.

Julian Child's HIT Sauce (Honey-Indian-Thai)

I never thought I'd get to that point, but oven-roasted chicken breasts got boring. Don't get me wrong: I still eat regular roasted chicken a couple of times a week. The recipe makes about 3/4 cup for marinade. (If you want to make it into BBQ sauce, heat over medium-low to medium and stir constantly until it thickens.)

The marinade:

1/2 cup tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
2 tbsp cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cardamom
1.5 tsp sweet curry
1/4 tsp cayenne/hot red pepper
4 tbsp honey
6 tbsp sriracha
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp smoked sea salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp fresh, microplaned ginger

Whisk it together in a 2 cup measure until combined.

Julian Child's HIT Breasts--Roasted:

1. Rinse, dry, and debone 4 chicken breasts with the skin on (and reserve the bones in the freezer for stock).
2. Place in a baking dish that just holds the chicken and put enough sauce to almost cover. Turn the chicken over until covered in the marinade. The skin-side should end facing up.
3. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
4. Reserve the rest of the marinade.
5. Preheat the oven to 400-425 degrees.
6. Bring chicken to room temperature by letting it sit on the counter for about 20 minutes, then put it in the oven.
7. After about 25 minutes, you can spoon out some of the marinade from the baking dish and add it to the reserved marinade. Use a fat separator if you like.
8. Cook the chicken for another 10 minutes or until the chicken registers an internal temperature of 155 degrees. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, heat the reserved marinade (and juices--if you're into that) in a saucepan over medium-low to medium heat (stirring constantly with a silicone spatula) until it thickens into a sauce consistency.
10. To serve, pour a little sauce on top of the chicken breasts and have more available while you eat.

Julian Child's HIT Wings:

1. Rinse, dry, and separate 20-25 chicken wings.
2. Marinate the wings in the HIT sauce for at least 2 hours.
3. Place everything in a baking dish (preferably an enamel cast iron roaster).
4. Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour, turning over the wings twice.
5. Remove the wings and pour the juice from the pan into a fat separator.
6. Raise the temperature of the oven to 425 degrees and place the wings back into the oven in the pan for 15-20 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, pour the juices and into a saucepan and discard of the fat that separates.
8. Heat sauce on medium to medium high until it reduces by half.
9. Remove the wings and let the sauce and wings cool for 10-15 minutes.
10. Coat the wings in the sauce and enjoy!

Enjoy!

Pictured with Roasted Broccoli & Sweet Onion. Cut bite-sized florets then slice 1/4" thick stems of broccoli. Place with commiserate amount of chopped sweet onions and 1-2 cloves of minced garlic. Cover with 1-2 tbsp. of olive oil. Add pepper and less salt than usual (1/2 - 1 tsp each). Roast in an oven from 350-425 until florets begin to brown. Finish with the juice of half a lemon and black truffle salt (or black truffle oil). If you're missing the truffle salt or oil, just don't cook this. This is by far the best vegetable side that you can serve. Period. It's the star of the meal.

Aunt Sheila's Crab Dip

There are few things more satisfying in this world than Aunt Sheila's crab dip. She's made it for 30 years, and you can't have a holiday without it. The original recipe is unchanged, but I'll give some tips of things that I've learned over the years as I've made it. I've added ritzy ingredients like parmigiano reggiano and fresh herbs, but I just prefer the original.  All the measurements are to your liking and vary from batch to batch.

I love this dip with Frito's scoops, but other people will eat it with Club crackers or even Ritz crackers. I don't get it; corn chips bring the whole thing together, but I always have another option available. This dip is a rustic, down-home southern recipe, so make sure to serve it in bowl befitting its delicious nature. I always use stainless steel or black. Don't make it fancy. It's expensive to make, but it's not fancy. It'll take a little campaigning to get people to eat it because it ain't pretty, but--once they try it--they will keep coming back for more. And they'll beg you for the recipe, which is why this is here.

Ingredients:

1 lb crab meat (preferably claw, which is cheaper and tastes crabbier)
8 oz cheddar cheese (I always use a 2-5 year aged cheddar, but plain old sharp cheddar is okay, too)
Small-medium white onion
32 oz jar of Duke's mayonnaise (don't get light... just don't)
Worcestershire sauce
Ketchup
Garlic salt
Kosher salt & freshly cracked pepper
Frito's scoops
Club crackers

Steps:

1. Grate the cheddar cheese and set aside. It's best to grate when the cheese is cold. If you just got home from the grocery, throw it in the freezer and do this before step 5.
2. Small dice the white onion and leave on cutting board
3. Drain any excess fluid from the crab meat, put into large mixing bowl, and flake with a fork looking for large shells.

Step 3

4. Add about 1/2 cup onion and mix with crab meat with a fork, but, really, put as much or a little onion as you'd like. It sits overnight, so the onion won't be raw. It gives a little crunch and is amazingly delicious. Add more than you think!
5. Add half the cheese and mix with a fork to get the lumps of grated cheese out. Add the rest and finish.

Steps 4&5

6. Add enough mayo to get the right consistency. I usually use 1/2 to 2/3 of a 32 oz jar. I mix everything first to make sure I don't add too much mayo. (If you do, you can always add a little lemon juice to cut the mayo flavor.)
7. Add ketchup to make a little pink. I only use organic Heinz Ketchup.

Step 7

 8. Add Worcester sauce to taste. I usually put what is pictured below, taste it

Step 8

9. 2-3 pinches of salt and a good dusting of pepper.
10. A nice dusting of garlic salt.
11. MOST IMPORTANT!!! Let sit overnight. This lets the onions sweeten and the flavors meld. If I only have about 4-5 hours, I'll add a couple of dashes of sugar. But it's never as good.
12. Stir and taste. You'll have to adjust the flavors to your liking. You can add more Worcester sauce, ketchup, salt, pepper, garlic salt, etc.

Enjoy within 3 days.

Julian Child's Brown Sugar Buttercream

Julian Child's Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting

Prep Time: 30 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Servings: enough for two pumpkin cheesecakes | Difficulty:Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 cups light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2/3 cup water
• 2/3 cup egg whites
• 1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar
• 1 lb butter (4 sticks), softened
• (Kosher salt)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Special Equipment: candy thermometer

Directions:

Mix 2 cups brown sugar with water in a small, heavy saucepan. Cook over high heat until syrup reaches 248 degrees F on a candy thermometer. DO NOT STIR.

While syrup is cooking, beat egg whites with Cream of Tartar and 2 tablespoons sugar until stiff but not dry.* (Extra- fine granulated sugar works best). Turn mixer off until syrup is ready.

With mixer running, pour syrup into the egg whites in a thin, steady stream, making sure not to pour directly onto beaters. Be careful, as hot syrup can burn if you. Continue to beat mixture until it is no longer hot.

Allow to cool to room temperature and then beat in the softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all is incorporated. (Salted butter works fine. If you are using unsalted butter, add 1/3 teaspoon salt, or to taste.) The mixture will become thin and may look curdled at first, but will then become smooth as it beats. Lastly, beat in the vanilla all at once.

Pumpkin Cheesecake!!!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Prep Time: 30 min | Cook Time: 3 hrs | Servings: 12 to 15 servings | Difficulty: Intermediate

Ingredients:

• For the crust:
• 1 1/2 packs of Lotus Bischoff cookies
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• For the filling:
• 2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 5 whole extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 14-ounce can of pumpkin (Libby)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

To make the place the cookies in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until crumbled. I sift it with an Asian wire skimmer to sift out the large pieces and reprocess. Mix with pecans and add melted butter until moistened. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan (think parchment if you want to transfer it off the bottom). With your hands, press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about 1-inch up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature. When cooled make sure you butter the exposed part of the pan; this keeps the cheesecake from sticking to the sides that is one cause of it cracking.

Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees F.

To make the filling, cream the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (don't skimp on this). Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add the eggs and egg yolks, 2 at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the bowl and beater, as necessary. With the mixer on low, add the sour cream, lemon zest, corn starch, and vanilla. Then add the pumpkin and fold in or mix halfway with the paddle and finish off by hand. Pour into the cooled crust. You may have filling left over.

Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 250 degrees F and bake for another 2 hours. Continue to cook until all is firm except the middle 2 or 3 inches. Turn the oven off and open the door wide. Allow the cake to sit in the oven with the door open for 30 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven and allow it to sit at room temperature for another 2 to 3 hours, until completely cooled. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the cake from the springform pan by carefully running a hot knife around the outside of the cake. Leave the cake on the bottom of the springform pan for serving.

Add Julian Child's Brown Sugar buttercream icing and some freshly grated cinnamon for the perfect finish.

***adapted from Ina Garten's raspberry cheesecake