# How to 'Jazz' up Mac N Cheese ?



## peterpack (Jan 17, 2009)

Mac N Cheese is one of my favourite meals. has been since a kid

I'm looking for some ways to 'Jazz' it up a bit, but not to the extent that it's an entirely different dish. 

Any suggestions on what extra ingredients would be good to add or what special things you can do with the sauce ?

I usually throw in some chopped bacon and champigions, that's the extent of my experimentation so far


----------



## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Mustard

Hot sauce

Blue Cheeese, & parm. Very strong flavored cheeses to punch up the cheese intensity

Ham

Brocolli


----------



## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

I often add in some sort of sausage or cured meat. Parma ham, hot coppa and such can just be diced and tossed in. Raw, fresh sausages are best browned first. I like kielbasa, smoked polish, hot links, Wrangler hot dogs, little cocktail Smokies, all sorts of stuff. Haven't tried liverwurst yet, I will admit.

A bit of diced fresh tomato and chopped green onion is a good addition. If you are up for it, smoosh up an anchovy fillet or two and mix it in. Sometimes I just add in some hot sauce and granulated garlic, sometimes various other sharp cheeses.

Home made or out of the box, mac and cheese can be quite tasty as is, or treated as a blank canvas, ready to take on whatever sort of personality you wish to give it that day.

mjb.


----------



## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

I start mine with a white sauce, but I first sauté minced onions in the butter just until they start to color. Then when I add the flour, I also add dry mustard, Old Bay Seasoning (instead of salt), and sometimes cayenne or pure chile powder. Finish the sauce normally with milk and a slug of Worcestershire sauce (either the regular or the "white wine" version). If it still needs salt, I might add a splash of fish sauce.

For cheese, I use an extra sharp cheddar, plus whatever other little bits I might have around -- blue cheese, Gruyère, Parmesan, Romano -- and some cream cheese (plain or with chives). Sometimes I use cheddar with habaneros or chipotles in in -- that really jazzes it up! 

Never any meats or such. Just macaroni, white sauce with additions, and cheese. Just. :lol:


----------



## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

Best I ever made, I had been to a lavish cocktail party at my boss's house, and he had bought three huge plates with a selection of cheeses. Nobody but me ate any, so he sent me home with all the leftovers. I made a classic Mornay with all of them, except that I first sauteed some Harrington's bacon that my mother had given me, and I used some of the fat along with butter to make the roux. I put extra cheddar on top and browned it under a broiler. Nothing unusual, really, just a lot of very good cheese, some very good bacon, and classic technique. But it was spectacular.


----------



## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Yes me too! I put a whole onion in there, if it is very finely chopped it basically dissolves in the dish but adds a whole lot of flavor. Dry mustard is great too.

If you want to really jazz it up you can add meat sauce or homemade chili to it as well. It takes the dish in a completely different direction but my family loves it and it freezes well too.

I like to top my mac n' cheese with lots of cheddar, mozz, and parmesan, and then sprinkle with seasoned breadcrumbs for that extra crunch.


----------



## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

not just the goo but the crunch.....

mac and cheese, 
much like suzannes but have been known to add 1/2 and 1/2 or cream to the 2% milk, it all depends on what's in the fridge.

sharp cheddar is typical, but if there's havarti, monterrey jack or some melting cheese around that goes in....

occasionally bacon lardons, green onions, or sauteed mushrooms....and on rare occasion a 1/2 handful of dried morels, porcini or black trumpets, enough for a ummmm not a blow you out of the water. they go into the casserole dish dry with the made goo.....topped with buttered or oiled bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, chips...usually a bit of grated hard cheese, pepper, salt....lots....for personal consumption I'm more apt to do a 9x11 pyrex pan than a deeper version, there's a higher % of crunch to goo in the shallow pan.


----------



## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

smoked gouda


----------



## fishstickhunter (Jan 3, 2009)

I start out by sautéing some onions, mushrooms, and green peppers

Then add Italian sausage, chipotle pepper powder, garlic powder

With leftover mac and cheese I store it in the fridge in a 1" thick slab. Then I will cut that slab into triangles, bread, and deep fry the mac n cheese


----------



## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

Tried many of the variations and additions above; like chunks of Kentucky or Missouri country ham, horseradish, topping of wheat germ rather than bread crumbs.

Mike


----------



## dmt (Jul 28, 2006)

For a very quick embellishment, you may wish to toss in some ground beef done up with some taco seasoning...


----------



## greyeaglem (Apr 17, 2006)

Salsa. One of my friends always stirs in salsa.


----------



## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

It's been my impression - reinforced by all of the above - that M & C is one of the most-jazzed-up of any commonplace dishes. Half the Food TV cooking contest shows are about fooling around with M & C. :roll:

Mike

Four minutes after posting this, tuned into _Create_ channel and they're running _America's Test Kitchen_ (which as a loyal CI reader, I enjoy.)

Guess what they're jazzing up?

Yeah, that's right. :lol:

Well, just _forty_ minutes after the first post, tuned into _Good Eats_ and the program is devoted to...

Yep, that

OK, enough. I'm planning a kitchen experimental effort to incorporate some whole, unpeeled coconuts into my M&C.  I recently purchased a Vita-Mix industrial strength blender, and I think it would handle a whole coconut without too much trouble. I'll let you know how it turns out, probably.

Mike :crazy:


----------



## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

I put an upscale version on my billofare sometime useing Lobster, shallots, porccinni mushroom, a splash of brandy and two cheeses, but I get $21.95. Dont forget I am in Palm Beach.


----------



## peterpack (Jan 17, 2009)

thanks for the replies


----------



## hbjul (Jun 22, 2007)

Mac 'n Cheese...an American icon. How about with diced ham or bacon...some cracklins?


----------



## bryanj (Jun 20, 2008)

A place I used to work at did a bechamel with Velveeta, havarti and bleu that was mixed with small shells and andoullie sausage. It got topped with panko and minced herbs. Not bad at all.


----------



## kiki (Sep 2, 2008)

how about adding white chedder and jalapenos. I went to a mexican restaurant and it was the best I have ever had-it was spicy and had something crunchy on top-I am sure there is a recipe online for a hot and spicy mexican version.


----------



## oregonyeti (Jun 16, 2007)

All my favorite things have been mentioned. I'll have to try mustard--sounds great.

I like to put chipotle sauce on mine, after it's cooked.


----------



## nick.shu (Jul 18, 2000)

vision and imagination would guide you in the right direction here.

What would stop you from forming a lasagne using a mac n cheese base for instance by layering it?.

How bout cooking it out and cutting it out in rings like a starch like a potato bake.

There are many variations on the theme, tuna mornay, or you could layer it with thinly sliced chicken breast a la lasagne.

Could also make a something like a crumble with a roasted veg and meat stack with a mac n cheese topping gratinee.

Just a few ideas.


----------



## mont86 (Jan 24, 2009)

What does the flour do for the cheese sauce?

Thanks for any info.


----------



## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

Flour is used to make the roux that thickens her sauce mornay. Look in any cookbook for a recipe for Bechamel or cream sauce and you will see how it all works.


----------



## mont86 (Jan 24, 2009)

I know it is used for a thickener, but does cheese sauce need thickening? When I made a cheese sauce I added milk to thin it out a bit. I'm new to sauces...I have done some research but still am unsure of what I'm doing.

I may have to do testing in the kitchen and try it different ways. I wanted to spare myself any agony.:lips:


----------



## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

Without a thickener, a cheese sauce requires a huge amount of cheese to have the desired consistency -- more like cheese fondue than sauce as such, i.e. basically melted cheese.

The problem is that melted cheese breaks very, very easily. By "breaks" I mean that it will start to separate, "weeping" butter and leaving curds. If you just add a whole bunch of melted cheese to your macaroni, odds are that it's going to break.

So the trick is to use something to stabilize the mixture, which means (usually) a thickener of some kind. A Bechamel sauce (roux + milk) makes an excellent base for a cheese sauce, because once it's stable you can sort of keep on adding cheese pretty much at will. You can also use any cheese you like, without worrying about which cheese tend to break and which don't. And, once the sauce is made, it will hold extremely well over time.


----------



## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Being new to sauces then bechamel is a great one to begin with. You'll never go back to making mac' n' cheese without it again. I'm sure you're not a fan of the big globs of cheese and the oily stuff it leaves behind once it seperates. It's not too difficult either and you don't need too much. 

All you need is 2 tbsp butter, and 2 tbsp flour. 
Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour. 
Stir in the flour and keep stirring for about 2-3 minutes. This is called a roux. 
Now you add milk, add a cup to begin with and if it's still too stiff add more as you go along. Sorry, never measured it just for mac n cheese but you want to stir in enough milk to make it the consistency of a runny pudding. 
At this point you start adding seasonings and grated cheese until it melts and becomes smooth and creamy. 
Toss in your noodles and eat as is or top with parmesan and breadcrumbs and put in the oven at 400 for 25 min or until golden on top.


----------



## mont86 (Jan 24, 2009)

Thats what I was looking for. Thank you for the info.


----------



## chalkdust (Feb 18, 2009)

paprika, garlic, onion, mustard powder, a hint of hot pepper


----------



## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

You need to cook the butter-flour roux for _three_ minutes to avoid a "floury" taste.

We like to top the assembled M&C with wheat germ flakes before baking. 
What the heck, it might even be healthy.

Mike


----------



## dillbert (Jul 2, 2008)

>>>>You'll never go back . . .

oops <g>

I personally like the roux approach - I like a creamy cheesy sauce in my mac&cheese.

my dear wife otoh, _prefers_ the chunky style - pasta, shredded cheese, milk/cream poured over, baked. I eat it, but it's not my preference.

largely a comfort food thing and what you grew up remembering, I suppose . . .


----------



## oregonyeti (Jun 16, 2007)

I've found a great addition to mac n cheese, that makes it a little different but yummmmm. Penzey's "Maharajah Curry Powder" sprinkled on top. Just a light sprinkle. 

The ingredients of this spice mix are turmeric, coriander seeds, cumin, cardamom, fenugreek, ginger, nutmeg, fennel, cinnamon, white pepper, Tellicherry black pepper, cloves, saffron and cayenne pepper, in that order. It's a lot more aromatic than hot. I'm a mac n cheese lover and this takes it to another level.


----------



## ninja_59 (May 2, 2004)

Theres a home made hot sauce I was given by a friend in the U.S.A. , 3 drops & its super hot, I also tried adding fresh merguez sausages my butcher makes daily, excellent for a change.


----------



## amazingrace (Jul 28, 2006)

I like to add some chopped roasted green chili. :lips:


----------



## oregonyeti (Jun 16, 2007)

Man do I love lamb.

Amazingrace, what type of green chile do you mean?


----------



## tonywade (Mar 20, 2009)

I had some friends over for some beers, and they had to sleep over cus we all sampled many varieties of malt beverag3...anyways, i happened to have a bit of leftover spagetti sauce , so we made an awesoeme cheese sauce mixed in some dinasour macaroni and thursdays spagetti sauce, and then crushed up some PLAIN ruffled chips for topping, baked for thirty mins(and so did we)and enjoyed! it was freakin delicious!


----------



## jkiel1 (Mar 26, 2009)

As far as i'm concerned all mac and cheeze falls into two catagories. These are firm and cheezy or moist and cheezy. As far as special ingredients, I believe you need to add a few necessary ingredients. Worchester sauce, colemans mustard and sour cream. There are a lot of excellent recipes, but you need to decide which type mac and cheeze you want to make. I believe both kinds need to start with a white sauce made up of butter, flour, and onions with salt and pepper. Make a roux of these ingredients then add milk. If you want a firm mac and cheeze add more flour and less milk. For a moister mac and cheeze use less flour and more milk. In both styles, use several types of cheeze. Sharp cheddar for flavor and soft cheezes for smoothness. Use velveta if you like, but if you are a cooking purist, use a softer gourmet cheeze. Reserve one or more of the harder shredded cheezes for the top in both cases. If you want the creamier version use the soupier white sauce. Add the cooked macaroni to the sauce, top with the shredded cheeze then cook in the middle rack in a very hot oven (475-500 degrees) or under the broiler for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheeze on top in browned and bubbly. For a firm version use the thicker sauce. Add the hot macoroni. Top with the shredded cheeze, and bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for about 45 min to one hour until the top is brown and bubbly. Both are popular in my house. It's just a matter of preference.
jkiel1 Ormond Beach Fl


----------

