Saturday 6 September 2014

Simon Gault's Macaroni Cheese Chips






Add a little bacon, some BĂ©arnaise sauce and a poached egg and you have a decadent breakfast. Or serve these as a side with a perfectly cooked steak. Everyone loves macaroni cheese, so won’t be able to resist it fried up so it is crunchy on the outside and gooey in the middle.
The recipe comes from ‘Simon Gault Modern Classics’ .This is a great  new recipe book by MasterChef Judge Simon Gault in which he has updated classic dishes from around the world which every cook should have in their repertoire and added his five percent magic.

Makes 8
Ingredients: 
2 cups (500ml) milk
pinch of nutmeg
¼ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp salt
50g butter
50g plain flour
200g grated cheddar
100g macaroni, cooked according to packet instructions, then drained and cooled
100g rindless shoulder bacon, roughly chopped and fried until crisp
4 tbsp flour
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
2 cups panko crumbs
1 litre canola oil
2 avocados
cracked black pepper to taste
Method:
1. To make a cheese sauce, warm the milk, nutmeg, smoked paprika and salt in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming but not boiling.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat, add the flour and stir until it begins to foam and loses its raw taste (about 3 minutes; do not allow to brown). Turn off the heat, whisk in the hot milk and return to a low–medium heat. Continue whisking until the mixture is thickened to ensure a smooth sauce (about 4 minutes). Fold in the grated cheese, then place in a large mixing bowl with the cooked pasta and bacon.
3. Line a loaf tin with baking paper and spread in the macaroni and cheese mix evenly to a thickness of 2cm–3cm (1 inch). Press firmly and cool, then refrigerate until completely cold (at least 1 hour). Lift out onto a chopping board and remove the baking paper, then cut into 8 slices like giant chips.
4. Place the flour on a plate. Whisk the eggs and milk together in a shallow bowl. Coat the rectangle chips in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip the flour-coated macaroni in the egg mixture, then into the breadcrumbs, pressing gently with your fingertips to help them stick. Return the coated macaroni to the refrigerator, covered, for at least 2 hours to set firm.
5. Heat the canola oil in a deep saucepan to 180°C and fry the crumbed macaroni chips in batches for 3–4 minutes until golden. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then serve immediately with wedges of avocado topped with cracked pepper.
Copyright line
Reproduced with permission from Simon Gault Modern Classics by Simon Gault. Published by Penguin Group NZ. RRP $60.00. Copyright © text, Simon Gault, 2014.
Copyright © photographs, Kieran Scott, 2014.


I wrote this for The Breeze website where it first appeared
- See more at: http://www.thebreeze.co.nz/Macaroni-Cheese-Chips/tabid/1131/articleID/8389/Default.aspx#sthash.9CEvWy3N.dpuf





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