10 LEVELS OF MAC AND CHEESE

For the Mac

Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan and add macaroni. Cook according to box instructions or until tender.

Meanwhile, make cheese sauce in a separate saucepan.

For the Cheese Sauce

In a separate saucepan over medium-low heat, combine butter, milk, paprika, dried garlic, and ground mustard. Stir and cook until melted and homogeneous.

For the Assembly

Preheat oven to 375 °F.

Once the cheese sauce is completely melted and the pasta cooked, drain pasta, do not rinse and return to the pot.

Then add Blue Box cheese packets and melted cheese sauce. Stir to combine and transfer to cast iron casserole dish.

Combine melted butter and crushed cornflakes in a mixing bowl then sprinkle evenly over top of the mac and cheese and bake in a preheated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the crushed corn flakes are brown and crispy.

Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan and add macaroni. Cook according to box instructions or until tender.

Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water, do not rinse and return to the pot. Set aside for later use.

For the Cheese Sauce

In a large saucepan over medium heat add evaporated milk and heat gently.

Then reduce the heat to low, add shredded cheese and gently whisk to combine until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.

For the Assembly

Add the Cheese Sauce to the cooked macaroni along with ¼ cup of pasta water to start, using more pasta water as needed for a homogenous mixture.

Stir using a rubber spatula until thoroughly combined. Serve hot.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine whole milk and water. Cover and bring to a rolling simmer.

Then, add elbow macaroni. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the macaroni is cooked and the milk mixture is mostly absorbed.

Kill the heat, then add the shredded cheeses. Stir to combine.

Add cayenne pepper and Dijon mustard and stir to combine. The cheese sauce should be nice and gooey at this point.

Then add the remaining shredded cheddar, mix until just combined, cover and allow the cheese to melt, about 3-5 minutes.

Serve hot with a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper.

Cut baked mac & cheese into 2 x 2 inch (5 x 5 cm) squares.

Then, set up your dredging station in wide shallow bowls with all-purpose flour, beaten eggs with a drop of cold water, and panko bread crumbs.

Meanwhile, fill a high-walled pan with frying oil around 2/3rds of the way full. Heat to 350 °F (175 °C).

Transfer the dredged mac & cheese squares to the frying oil, frying one at a time until crispy and golden brown.

Set the fried mac & cheese squares on a racked rimmed baking sheet to drain. Repeat with all mac & cheese squares, maintaining the frying oil temperature as necessary.

Serve the mac & cheese squares stacked and skewered on a shallow dish of ranch dressing, drizzling with ketchup as desired.

For the Prep

Shred mild yellow cheddar, Gouda, and parmigiano reggiano then combine in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Cook macaroni according to box instructions, drain, and set aside.

For the Sauce

In a high-walled medium sauté pan over medium-low heat, combine butter and flour. Whisk into a paste for 1-3 minutes until the raw flour dissipates.

Increase heat to medium. Then, add cold whole milk a splash at a time, about 1 tbsp, whisking constantly and making sure to fully incorporate each splash of milk into the flour mixture before adding another splash.

Continue to add milk and whisk until the mixture begins to thicken to a smooth sauce, then you can add more milk as the Béchamel forms.

Once all of the milk is combined, increase the heat to medium high and slowly bring to a bare, gentle simmer. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Then kill the heat, stir in the cheeses with a rubber spatula, and allow the residual heat to melt cheeses into a thick cheese sauce.

Combine Mornay sauce with the cooked macaroni and serve immediately.

Grate cheeses and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, bring milk to a boil.

Transfer grated cheese to the blender and add Dijon mustard, grated pecorino romano cheese, and cayenne pepper.

Once the milk is just boiling, reduce heat to low and add sodium citrate. Tiny whisk until sodium citrate is dissolved.

Then, begin blending the cheese mixture on low speed. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the blender, increasing speed as you pour.

Blend until a thick, creamy cheese sauce has formed.

Combine with cooked cavatappi pasta and serve immediately.

For the Lobster Tail

Gently cut and remove the meat from the shell and chop into bite-sized pieces.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt TKTK butter and poach the lobster, stirring frequently, until tender and fragrant.

Set aside for later use, reserving melted butter.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions.

For the Cheese Sauce

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, add reserved Italian butter from poaching the lobster. Then add flour and whisk until paste-like.

Increase heat to medium. Then, add cold whole milk a splash at a time, about 1 tbsp, whisking constantly and making sure to fully incorporate each splash of milk into the flour mixture before adding another splash.

Once all of the milk is combined, increase the heat to medium high and slowly bring to a bare, gentle simmer.

Add grated cheese and poached lobster, and stir to combine. Cook until the cheese is melted and the lobster is heated through.

For the Assembly

Combine cooked pasta, cheese sauce, and lobster. Mix until evenly coated.

Serve immediately with chives for garnish and freshly ground black pepper finishing with freshly shaved truffle.

For the Homemade Mac-Tteok-Bokki Hybrid

For the Tangzhong Starter

In a heat-proof mixing bowl, combine rice flour and boiling water and mix until it forms a thick, gloopy paste. Set aside and allow to cool completely before incorporating in the pasta dough.

For the Pasta Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine semolina flour, white rice flour, tapioca starch, and kosher salt. Whisk until homogenous.

Then add cold Tangzhong starter, pressing it through a mesh sieve to ensure a smooth mixture.

Add vegetable oil and egg mixture to the bowl.

Then knead with the dough hook on medium speed until the mixture starts to come together in one cohesive dough ball.

Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. The dough may require kneading by hand The dough is finished resting when it is supple to the touch and no longer crumbly.

Using the macaroni attachment, begin feeding golf ball-sized pasta dough balls to make the macaroni. Use a floured baking sheet to catch the macaroni as it is cut.

Toss the cut macaroni in the semolina flour and set aside.

Feel free to test the macaroni by boiling it in a pot of water for 2 minutes

For the Parmesan Broth

In a large pot, combine chicken broth, water, thyme, shallots, garlic cloves, bay leaves, and parmesan cheese rinds.

Simmer for an hour. While the broth is simmering, make the breadcrumbs

For the Breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 375°F with convection.

Slice the baguette and then tear the soft inside into bite-sized crumbles.

Transfer to a mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil.

Then, transfer to a baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, tossing every few minutes to ensure even toasting.

While the breadcrumbs are toasting, make the cheese sauce.

When the breadcrumbs are finished toasting, set aside.

For the Parmesan Cheese Crisps

Preheat oven to 400 °F

On a parchment lined baking sheet, grate the parmesan cheese very finely into 2 separate piles then transfer to the preheated oven for time until crispy and golden brown.

While the cheese crisps are in the oven, prepare your stove top for the Cheese Sauce and the Mac & Cheese Assembly with a medium pot filled with the parmesan broth, a medium sauté pan, and a large pot.

For the Cheese Sauce

In a high-walled medium sauté pan over medium heat, combine butter and flour. Whisk into a paste for 1-3 minutes until the raw flour dissipates.

In a separate saucepan over medium-low heat, add milk and sodium citrate. Whisk until the sodium citrate is dissolved.

Then, return the milk mixture to a spouted measuring cup before adding to the roux 1 splash at a time, about 1 tbsp, whisking constantly and making sure to fully incorporate each splash of milk into the flour mixture before adding another splash.

Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, then kill the heat and add the shredded cheeses. Stir and melt using the residual heat and a rubber spatula.

Meanwhile, bring the Parmesan Broth to a boil.

For the Assembly

Boil the Homemade Mac-Tteok-Bokki Hybrid for 90 seconds in the Parmesan Broth. Strain gently and transfer to the cheese sauce with a few teaspoons of the Parmesan Broth. Mix to combine.

Serve immediately and top with cheese crisps, bread crumbs, chives, and freshly ground black pepper.