Since I’m challenging myself+my husband to make new recipes out of our new cookbooks throughout the year (at least one from each book per month), I decided to do mini-review posts of the recipes we make on the blog. I will not be posting the recipe (you can get it yourself in whichever book it comes from), but I’ll post a photo (if possible) of our dish made from the recipe as well as a few bullet-point notes. There’s a category on the blog for these posts called “recipe review 2013.”
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Recipe: Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese from The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001-2013, (page 221)
- when did we make this? Tuesday, October 29, for supper
- did we change anything? I left out the hot sauce, since my little daughter was sharing it with me. I didn’t use the remaining 1/4 of the cheese or the 1 c. of evaporated milk. The sauce was very creamy and getting almost soupy, so I didn’t think it needed anything more. I also added a bit of sugar (see below). I also didn’t make the bread crumb topping (I was in a hurry!)
- what did we like? This is a pretty easy recipe, and it is a very rich, comforting sort of meal.
- what didn’t we like? The mustard flavor is quite strong. I had high hopes that my little (23 mo. old) girl would gobble this up, but I think the mustard flavor was what made her spit it out. I added some sugar to take off the edge, which even I thought was a bit much.
- will we make it again (any changes in the future)? This actually is not the first time I’ve made this recipe… the first time was before I started my recipe review posts, so I couldn’t remember what I’d thought of it. I think I’d make a different recipe next time, though. It is okay, but not my favorite.
They have another mac n cheese that you bake which is good – mostly stovetop until the very end where you finish it off in the oven. It’s pretty soupy off the stovetop, but then gets thick and absorbed in the oven. It’s in Cooks Illustrated, so I’m not sure if it’s in the cookbook.
I’ve tried the Classic Macaroni and Cheese recipe (https://vegetablog.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/atk-recipe-12-classic-macaroni-and-cheese/) and absolutely loved it. It just takes a bit more time, but it is the best baked mac & cheese I have ever eaten!
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