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I love the anticipation that builds when preparing this dish. Eggs that form a savory custard seemed a natural way to bind it all together. And then, I thought, what about corn tortillas? So, I chopped some up, along with the chiles and cilantro, for added texture and aroma. Comfort food in Texas means cheese and chiles and their creamy-zingy combination.
CUSTARD VS BECHAMEL MACARONI AND CHEESE MAC
With mac and cheese as the goal, I thought of comfort and nostalgia. It’s the antithesis of what I do during the week, which is to stand behind a line and cook under pressure. On my night off, I like “cocktail food”: not weiners on toothpicks, but food I can prepare and then let simmer or bake for 40 minutes or so-long enough to relax and have a cocktail before dinner. Robert Del Grande makes a savory custard with a Tex-Mex kick Sparkling wine or Champagne is the perfect drink to accompany the dish since it counters the richness. So, as a main course, I recommend serving it with an arugula salad tossed with a straightforward vinaigrette. There’s no question that this combination of classic béchamel and bold mix of cheeses creates an over-the-top mac and cheese. I start with the traditional binder for classic mac and cheese: béchamel, or white sauce-really just a mixture of butter and flour into which you whisk hot milk and cook slowly until thickened. I like to use Maytag Blue, Gruyère, Monterey Jack, and Parmigiano Reggiano-cheeses that might not be traditional for macaroni and cheese but that I love for their robust flavor. This mac and cheese, a luxurious version of a traditional southern accompaniment for ham, is equally good as a main course with a simple salad. Each chef gave me a deliciously different take: Not only are the flavors different, but each version is bound and thickened with a different method: with a white sauce, with a savory custard, and with cream.īen Barker brings it together with a classic white sauce I asked three chefs to create their own favorite version of macaroni and cheese. I started fantasizing: Just how would a chef put his or her own special signature on this dish to make it deluxe? But the more I talked with chefs I know, the clearer it became that macaroni and cheese is exactly the kind of food that they like to cook for themselves, for family, and for friends on nights off.
![custard vs bechamel macaroni and cheese custard vs bechamel macaroni and cheese](https://fedandfit.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/201008_Mac-and-Cheese-Casserole-03.jpg)
For a long time, I was reluctant (especially among my foodier friends) to admit how much I like to make macaroni and cheese.