Tonight's dish: gluten-free baked mac n' cheese
Tonight I kicked off the cooking initiative with a gluten-free baked mac n' cheese of my own design (well, heavily influenced by a number of other recipes I found). It came out tasting good, though it needed a bit more cheese, a bit more salt, and a bit less milk.
To start off cook the rice noodles, following the package directions but pulling them 2-3 minutes earlier than recommended. Once par cooked, drain and rinse with cold water to halt cooking.
While those are going, melt the first of the 3 tablespoons of butter and sweat the onions until nice and translucent. Then mix the milk, cornstarch, and mustard powder together and made sure the cornstarch is evenly dispersed. Combine and whisk well, and then bring to a simmer. Once at a simmer add in the bay leaf, paprika, and curry powder and whisk well again. Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat with a fork. Temper the eggs into the milk mixture. Let this cook just at a simmer for 7-10 minutes or until nice and thick, then fish out the bay leaf. Add the 3/4 of the cheddar a handful at a time, making sure each batch has fully integrated before adding the next. Add salt and pepper to taste, but go a little heavier on the salt than you normally would, rice noodles need a bit more than normal. Pour the pasta into a 2.5 qt casserole and add in the cheese sauce. Be sure to jiggle the dish a bit to ensure no air bubbles are trapped. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. (Optional) In a sauté pan melt the other 3 tablespoons of butter and toss in the cup of crumbs. Once the butter is adsorbed, add the crumbs to the top of the casserole too. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, then rest for 5 minutes and serve.
Yields 4-5 servings.
So that said, I do think it could be improved. I would cut the milk down to 2-2.5 cups just to tighten up the whole thing, and probably go with a full pound of cheddar and 4-6 oz of the parmesan. The crumbs were meh, so you won't be missing anything is skip them. Not perfect, but an enjoyable meal nonetheless.
- 12 oz rice rotini pasta (elbows would have been nicer, but the local grocery had a limited selection of non-wheat pasta)
- 3 tablespoons butter x2
- Half a yellow onion, chopped fine
- 3 cups milk (2%)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 tablespoon mustard power
- 1 egg
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
- 12 oz grated cheddar (just plain ol' sharp, nothing really aged)
- 2 oz grated parmesan
- 1 cup corn flake crumbs
To start off cook the rice noodles, following the package directions but pulling them 2-3 minutes earlier than recommended. Once par cooked, drain and rinse with cold water to halt cooking.
While those are going, melt the first of the 3 tablespoons of butter and sweat the onions until nice and translucent. Then mix the milk, cornstarch, and mustard powder together and made sure the cornstarch is evenly dispersed. Combine and whisk well, and then bring to a simmer. Once at a simmer add in the bay leaf, paprika, and curry powder and whisk well again. Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat with a fork. Temper the eggs into the milk mixture. Let this cook just at a simmer for 7-10 minutes or until nice and thick, then fish out the bay leaf. Add the 3/4 of the cheddar a handful at a time, making sure each batch has fully integrated before adding the next. Add salt and pepper to taste, but go a little heavier on the salt than you normally would, rice noodles need a bit more than normal. Pour the pasta into a 2.5 qt casserole and add in the cheese sauce. Be sure to jiggle the dish a bit to ensure no air bubbles are trapped. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. (Optional) In a sauté pan melt the other 3 tablespoons of butter and toss in the cup of crumbs. Once the butter is adsorbed, add the crumbs to the top of the casserole too. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, then rest for 5 minutes and serve.
Yields 4-5 servings.
So that said, I do think it could be improved. I would cut the milk down to 2-2.5 cups just to tighten up the whole thing, and probably go with a full pound of cheddar and 4-6 oz of the parmesan. The crumbs were meh, so you won't be missing anything is skip them. Not perfect, but an enjoyable meal nonetheless.