Modernist Cuisine

For those of you who don't know, Jeff likes to cook and I like to eat, which really works out nicely. When we were first married he had a healthy obsession with Indian food. We learned to grind our own spices and make our own garam masala. Over the years I've experienced many of his food fascinations: popcorn, perfect grilling techniques, amazing whole wheat bread, gourmet ice cream, falafel, and the ultimate pizza crust. He is now on a modernist cuisine kick, which includes a lot of fun cooking opportunities. "What is modernist cuisine?" you may ask. It's basically using science and technology to make amazing food. No more lumpy sauces or dry chicken breasts for us. Here's a website with a lot of information if you want to take a look. We've tried several of their cooking techniques and in this post I want to talk about the cheesiest,  richest, creamiest macaroni you will ever eat. The blue box has got nothing on this, seriously. The problem with homemade mac and cheese is the roux. You usually use a roux to prevent the cheese from separating as you melt it. Although it makes a nice creamy sauce, the starch from the flour mellows out the flavor of the cheese. I'm always a bit disappointed with my first bite as I expect it to be bursting with flavor after adding a lot of cheese. You can always use Velveeta or some other fake cheese--but then it tastes like fake cheese. Adding real cheese doesn't work, because it separates into a greasy mess when you melt it. Here's where I'm about to blow your mind. All you need is a little sodium citrate. Dissolve it in the milk, add your favorite cheese, pour over noodles, and voila! The perfect mac and cheese.

Here is the actual recipe we used.