Modernist Macaroni and Cheese

One of the other reasons (besides trying to buy a house and move) that you haven’t seen me posting much is that I’ve been doing a lot of research into Modernist cooking. I’ve been cooking sous vide, using sodium citrate for cheese sauces, and even tried my hand (in a spectacular disaster) at spherification. The macaroni and cheese, though, has been an absolute success. It requires an ingredient you can’t typically get at your local grocery store (sodium citrate) but it’s easy enough to order some from Amazon, and a little goes a long way. It also makes for the creamiest cheese sauce you’ve ever had, made with whatever cheeses you like best! So feel free to change the cheeses I use… I’ve found Dubliner and Emmenthaler to make a fantastic mix, personally.

Start by cooking your pasta. Follow the package directions, this part is pretty normal.

Next, combine sodium citrate and milk, stir with a whisk, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. (I whisked together first and then heated, which is why you don’t see it in a pot. Skip that step, and just do it in a pot. Save yourself a dish here.)

Once the milk is simmering, add the cheese in batches, blending with an immersion blender until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can whisk the hell out of it, or pour it into a blender, making sure to leave a hole for the steam to escape, and blend it that way, transferring back to the stove to regain a simmer between batches.

Fold cheese sauce into macaroni, and add bacon. Because… bacon.

That’s it! You’re done. The best macaroni and cheese, in 30 minutes.

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