Gold Mac n Cheese

As a kid, I absolutely loved mac n cheese. Easily my favorite dish. Even if it came in a blue box and the cheese was a powder that smelled a bit like dog food, I still enjoyed it. As I grew from an adolescent to a teenager and young adult, I would never miss out on the opportunity to order a fancy mac n cheese at a nice restaurant.

Now that I’m an adult, just about everything has changed! I’ve traveled the world and explored the cuisines of many cultures. I’ve dined in michelin-starred restaurants and even learned some molecular gastronomy techniques. My palate is much more refined than it was in my blue box mac n cheese days.

But I still adore mac n cheese. Some things never change 😅

Recently I’ve been on a mission to make an incredible mac n cheese that beautifully combines my favorite takes on mac n cheese into one luxurious package.

This is a working note as I iterate on the recipe. I haven’t figure out how to incorporate all my favorite aspects of the best mac n cheeses I’ve eaten yet. This recipe isn’t done, but it is already delicious and at a point where guests rave about it.

Some of the techniques that make this mac n cheese especially luxurious are:

• Cooking the macaroni in stock instead of water to produce a richer flavor
• Cougar gold cheese has a particularly deep and complex flavor. I prefer this to mixing cheeses.
• Using saffron for an elevated taste and rich gold color
• The blistered tomatoes add some complementary acidity that helps balance the fattiness of the cheese

Ingredients

These ingredients make ~4 modest or 2-3 generous servings. As a main dish, plan on a generous serving per person.

Prep

1. Break up the cheese into small pieces. This isn’t an exact science, but the smaller the pieces the faster it melts.
2. Wash the tomatoes

Steps

1. Bring 2 cups of chicken stock to a low boil. Use a wide pot or sauté pan if available.
   1. Add 1/4 of the saffron to the stock
   2. if using unsalted chicken stock, add ~1tsp kosher salt.
2. Add dry orzo to chicken stock and reduce temperature to medium-low.
   1. Cover and stir every minute.
   2. Only add more chicken stock in small amounts if there is little to no liquid left. The goal is to get the orzo to slightly less than al dente with almost no liquid left.
   3. Turn off the heat and keep covered.
3. In a separate pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once it is hot, add the tomatoes.
4. Sauté the tomatoes for 1.5-2 minutes without moving them. Once they start to blister, rotate and repeat.
5. Once tomatoes are twice blistered, reduce heat to medium-low. Add the cream, crumbled cougar gold cheese, and remaining saffron to the pan.
6. Stir cheese and cream continuously until the cheese is fully melted.
7. Once cheese is fully melted, combine cheese & tomatoes into the pot with orzo and mix together until thoroughly coated.
8. Serve and enjoy!