Cauli Mac and Cheese

30th March 2016

Right after a gym session, you always need a bit of mac and cheese! I love all things cheesy but I've never made more than a Kraft box before. My roux sauces have never been perfect either so I thought it would be a bit of a challenge. It definitely took longer than the recipe suggested too!

First, the easy bit! Boil a pan of water and add the macaroni. Done. While the pasta was under way, I chopped a cauliflower into small florets and then added that to the pan.

While all that was boiling, I made the roux. The butter was melted in the pan and then I screwed up. It said to stir in the flour next which created delightful lumps in the pan. I'm pretty sure that's not what's supposed to happen. I quickly started to add the milk and whisked vigorously to try and break the lumps down. I continued adding the milk slowing, allowing it to heat up and hopefully melt the lumps some more. I'm not 100% sure I got rid of them all. I didn't need all the milk but it didn't really bubble a lot, just steamed. I added the grated cheese and some garlic paste and whisked continuously until it looked a little darker and thicker.

I poured the sauce over the mac and cauli in the casserole dish (after having to take out a Tupperware full of macaroni and cauliflower for space!) and stirred it all in. I scattered some breadcrumbs over the top and put it under the grill for about 10 minutes.

When it came out it was bubbling but the sauce still seemed thin. I just rolled with it since I was starving but as it cooled slightly this seemed to thicken it up. It tasted just as you'd expect mac and cheese to taste, to be honest! Not bad for my first attempt and there are three more portions for the week! Score.