Mac and cheese
Just to prove that we’re not America haters, here’s the mac and cheese recipe my blog partner The Republic of Palau uses, as reported in the comments at Steve Gilliard’s lates food post, which has a lot more mac and cheese recipes:
I use single cream ( US would be half and half) instead of milk and part-cook the macaroni first – on the same theory as pommes dauphinoise, the starch should absorb the liquid as it cooks slowly in a moderate oven, allowing the butter and milkfat to give the unctuous texture that contrasts so well with the piquancy of the cheese and that’s offset by the crisp, golden crunchiness of the top.
I can’t get good proper cheddar easily here, but an aged Gouda is almost as good. A teaspooon of dry English mustard ( you can still get Colmans mustard in the US – it’s great for mixing into your own meat rubs as well, as the heat cooks out, leaving a subtle spiciness). A 1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg also helps. And dot it with good butter.
I love this kind of food. There’s no trick to it: just use the best possible ingredients you can find and/or afford and pay just as much attention and respect to a simple dish like this as you would to the most expensive meat you can buy.