Mac-And-Cheese-And-Mac-And-Cheese-And-Mac-And-Cheese-And-Mac-And-Cheese-And-Mac-And-Cheese-And-Mac-And-Cheese-And-Mac-And-Cheese-And-Mac-And-Cheese-And- ...

OK, what could possibly go wrong with making Mac-And-Cheese?

Not a lot! But ... first you have to know how to make a good roux ... and do something magical with it! Bechamel and Mornay, here we come ... and the whole concept of mother and daughter sauces.

Learn to get the butter to just the right temperature, and sweat the onion

and/or garlic if you want that flavouring. Then get the flour slowly sifted in, then the cream and watch the whole structure come together quickly! Stir without stopping!

Thin down with milk,

correct the flavouring and add shredded or powdered cheese. Get it to melt into the basic Bechamel to make Mornay.

While this is going on have another brigade member heat up water and get it boiling, then salt it well.

Cook the dried macaroni noodles for about 14 minutes, until 'al dente', then pull out of the water with a spider. Get the mac into a smallish roasting pan and stir in all the delicious sauce. Top with more shredded

or powdered cheese mixed with herbed breadcrumbs. Bake in a 350 oven for about 20 minutes.

Loud, official, YUM !!

Today one group decided to play with their food, and added food colouring to the sauce. (Not traditional, but playful!) I encourage my students to play with their food (as long as it is not on contract for others) and experiment. Today it was all about "What will you do when you 5-6-7-8 year-old niece or nephew comes to play at your house, or one of your kids later in life? It is rainy and you're stuck inside. What is something that you can do WITH the kids and have delicious fun while you do it! See if you can get them to 'taste' red or green or blue or yellow.

So ... green sauce. :)

Dig in, kiddies!!

And today was a delightful former student's birthday ... so he was invited down for a special birthday celebration. Every chef worth her / his salt has a stash of candles in their desk ... and today we put two of them to use.

Happy Birthday, Noah.