An interesting scan across the globe for celebration traditions.
I was invited by my friend’s 92yo mom to their family kulkul-making party this year (where there will also be rose cookies using molds I brought back for her), but sadly I’ll already be gone.
I’m in search of a recipe for an indulgent and decadent mac & cheese for over the festive period. Are you able to help me out
I’m not @Saregama, but I’m compelled to throw in my contender for decadence (gift link):
Thanks for that my munchie friend.
I’m concluding that one of the keys to an “enhanced” version is a mix of cheeses we’d usually just use a sharp cheddar). I’ll struggle with the Velveeta as it’s not a product we have in the UK but a quick Google suggests its main quality is its meltiness, so I should be able to use a sub.
If it helps find a sub, sodium citrate is the key to Velveeta’s meltiness.
TorontoJo used sodium citrate that @MunchkinRedux mentioned, to add a creaminess or mouthfeel to a regular white sauce that is similar to Velveeta or other processed cheese.
She had given a bunch of us a few tbsps of it in a little jar, but I never got around to using it.
There is also a custard style Mac and Cheese that tends to be made in the southern States , that uses eggs rather than a white sauce to thicken the dish, and some recipes are silkier than others. Here is a Southern style recipe @shrinkrap posted in 2020.
I made a custard style Mac and Cheese about 6 times last year, but I recently went back to making the white sauce type because that is what one DC prefers.
The mac and cheese pie from the Caribbean is also a custard style, which can be firmer and sliced. We weren’t crazy about one Caribbean cax and cheese pie I tried that contained ketchup in the sauce.
I have used the following thread the most.
Gourmet mac and cheese- any favorite cheese combinations?
John Legend’s Mac and Cheese was very popular for a while. I never got around to making it but I might try it this year.
Thanks for the tip. My favourite recipe writer, Nigel Slater, always seems to advocate taleggio when he want a melty one. This might be the time to try it.
OMG one of my favorite cheeses! Got a seat at your table left? 
I’ll give you a shout, tasch.
For anyone looking for Citric Acid, if you have a Kosher section at your market, it can usually be found there as Sour Salt and the cost is bupkis.
I had it for the longest time… then never used it. Might’ve been to make my own mozzarella when I had interest in such projects. Never used the rennet again, either.
I use it frequently, in particular for ricotta, also lemon curd and other related items.l
I love latkes and making them. The winter weather here makes them much more delightful. I should start tonight! At least before the next chemo session.
Sounds perfect!
@Harters
I used my mom’s method for cauliflower cheese for the mac & cheese: white sauce made with a ratio of 1 tbsp butter & flour per cup of liquid, but with half and half instead of my usual whole milk, which made the bechamel richer than usual.
For cheese, a mix of aged cheddar with some gruyere (say 3/4 cheddar 1/4 gruyere), plus Parmesan for flavor, and a 1" piece of Amul (Indian processed cheddar, similar to Kraft or Velveeta) to see if it would help emulsify the sauce because a lot of aged cheddar sometimes breaks the sauce in my experience. (Not sure I really needed it, in retrospect.)
Also re decadence – I used more cheese than I otherwise would (though probably not as much as most American recipes call for). Mixed half into the sauce, layered another quarter over half the sauced pasta in the baking dish before covering with the rest of the pasta, and the remainder went on top with an extra sprinkle of parmesan.
I didn’t use panko or breadcrumbs – I vacillate between wanting a crunchy top vs not, and this was lovely with just a cheese crust.
I assembled the dish the day before to be baked just before dinner, so after the sauce was made, I added another cup of milk to offset the natural thickening that otherwise occurs as white sauce sits in the fridge.
And perhaps not relevant to your preparation, but I didn’t boil the pasta beforehand, just soaked it in water until it was fully rehydrated, and then mixed with the sauce – it cooked fully while it baked to heat & brown.
Here are pics of the mac – baked as well as plated – from the Thanksgiving thread – I was pleased that it stayed saucy as I wanted, and cooked up perfectly with just the soak:
Happy Hanukkah to all celebrating!
We are deferring latke making till the latke fiends arrive in a few days 
I did remember to carry sour cream with me across oceans, so there’s that.
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Just in case anyone is planning to experiment with sodium citrate in their Mac and cheese, note that it is not the same thing as citric acid. Citric acid is basically concentrated lemon juice and VERY SOUR - not something you probably want in your Mac and cheese. It also does not have the same smoothing/emulsifying effect as sodium citrate. https://elchemy.com/blogs/food-nutrition/sodium-citrate-vs-citric-acid-choosing-the-right-additive-for-food-processing
There’s a reason it’s called Sour Salt!
Thanks, I have both items, definitely different uses. Ty.
A multicultural Christmas party with friends yesterday included homemade and catered treats.
The spread of appetizers almost did us in — a cheese(ball) board with 4 varieties: mushroom truffle, jalapeno cheddar, tangy blueberry, and spicy cranberry, chilli crisp apero cheese bread (made by me), samosas: both chicken and potato, green apple dip with crudités and crackers, spicy chicken poppers, a sushi “cake”, and, ubiquitous to parties here — fresh wafers aka potato chips.
Good thing the main course was “light” — biryani and masala chicken 
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Dessert was a spread of Goan and other southern Indian Christian specialties — plum cake, Baath (coconut semolina cake), guava cheese (actually cubes of jelly, not cheese), rose cookies (frilly, crisp, deep fried), marzipan, jujubes. Plus a few additions — tiger / marble cake (made by me) and strawberry tres leches cake (made by a friend) — it’s strawberry season here.
