In the past year, there has been a tendency on social networks of creators in the beauty and well-being space listing all the “non-sexy” products they use that produce great results. These are not the fashionable items you organize and proudly display on your bathroom counter or makeup vanity, jewelry-tone perfume bottles and half-tweaking serums. These are proven reference horses which, although not glamorous, do the work. Think of thick hand creams, dry shampoos and teeth whitening bands.
The food world is equivalent to these “non -sexy” products that actually work? American cheese.
Many people like to hate American cheese, turning their nose on the processed product. But, as the food writers J. Kenji López-Alt points out, all cheeses are transformed in one way or another, and the ingredients used in American cheese make it ideal for fusion and emulsification. No, it is not all use, and I do not recommend it for your next cheese board. But when you need a mixture of a hamburger or a batch of queso which remains smooth and without panties? American cheese is the one you should collect each time.
It is also the key to this macaroni with gnocchi cheese, a fun and innovative touch on a classic of the Ben Weiner culinary writer. In this recipe to a people, the combination of stable or refrigerated gnocchi starch and emulsifying powers of American cheese allows you to skip the red (and several dirty pots and pots) but keep the succulent and creamy sauce which is the brand of a large macaroni and cheese.
The process begins with a little network, but rest assured that this is the most highly intensity of the 30-minute recipe. The mixture of cheeses is carefully chosen to reach wealth and depth. The sharp cheddar cheese offers the comforting flavor of Mac and Cheese that we know and love, Parmesan adds a dimension of hazelnut, and low -cornior mozzarella creates “almost absurd” cheese, says Weiner.
Although the cheeses of this mixture are delicious, Liz Bomze of the America’s test Kitchen says that these are “bad cast iron”. What American cheese contributes to the group is the sodium citrate, an emulsifier salt that helps cheese to gently melt. According to Bomze, it is the secret of the macaroni with the most creamy cheese, and it is particularly useful in dishes in a pot like this.
Once the preparation work is finished, the dish is gathering quickly, it is therefore useful to use an implementation approach and define your ingredients prepared before starting to cook. In a 10-inch pan, the foundation of the sauce is created by the whole milk simmering with salt, paprika, mustard powder, chili powder, nutmeg and garlic powder for an extra-savous punch. After a few minutes, the gnocchi are thrown and stirred until they are heated.
The magic occurs when the pan is removed from the fire and the American cheese is added. The potato starch joins the emulsifying qualities of the cheese, and the sauce turns into thickening into a lush and velvety dream that sets and clings to the gnocchi. From there, the thick cream and the first half of the grated cheese are stirred in the mixture, melting perfectly into the residual heat.
Once everything is well incorporated, you have to resist the inevitable desire to dig immediately. The final keys are added by dispersing the other half of the grated cheese on the pan, letting it become sparkling and brown under the flesh and serve with parsley or chives. If you have been skeptical of American cheese so far, I think that a bite of this decadent dinner will make you a believer.
Mac and Gnocchi cheese
This fanciful vision of macaroni and always comfortable cheeses exchange pasta for stable or refrigerated gnocchi. Rather than cooking a redhead for a béchamel, the starch of the potatoes thickens the sauce which, with American cheese and thick cream, ensures a lush and creamy consistency. Cheddar cheese (for the best results and the smoother sauce, grate all the cheese at home), the parmesan and the spices bring the flavor, with low mood mozzarella offering an almost absurd cheese traction. Sprinkle with fresh herbs on the top, serve with a simple salad and this dinner is hot and ready in less than 30 minutes.
4¼ ounces pointed cheddar cheese, roughly grated (1½ cup)
4 ounces of whole or partial mozzarella cheese with low mood, grated (1 cup)
½ cup (2 ounces) finely grated parmesan
1 cup of whole milk
½ teaspoon of fine salt
½ teaspoon of smoked paprika
½ teaspoon of mustard powder
¼ teaspoon of chili powder
¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
1 (16 to 18 ounces) Stable shelf or refrigerated potato gnocchi
3½ ounces (1 cup) grated American cheese (see where to buy and note)
¼ cup of thick cream
Leaves or chives with chopped fresh flat leaves, to serve
Position a 5 or 6 inch rack of the grill element and preheat the grill at high.
In an average bowl, stir the cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan until they are well combined.
In a 10-inch flesh pan over medium-high heat, put the simmer milk. Add salt, paprika, mustard powder, chili powder, nutmeg and garlic powder and cook, whisking constantly, until they are well incorporated, about 2 minutes.
Gently place in gnocchi, distributing them evenly in the milk mixture. (A certain overlap is ok.) Stir to coat and cook, stirring frequently, until the gnocchi are heated, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, but leave the pan on the burner.
Add the American cheese, stirring until it melts and lightly thicken the sauce, followed by the thick cream and half the cheddar mixture. Stir, leaving the cheese gradually integrated when it founded in the residual heat.
Dispers the remaining cheddar mixture on top and place the pan under the grill for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is brown golden and bubbling. Leave to cool for 1 to 2 minutes, garnish with parsley or chives and serve.
Given: Four to six portions, about 4 cups
Active time: 20 minutes; Total time: 30 minutes
Storage: Refrigerate up to two days. To warm up, bring a small amount of simmer milk in a pan -free pan and gently add the remaining gnocchi, stirring to incorporate. Transfer to the grill and grill at high until it is hot and sparkling, 2 to 4 minutes.
Notes: American cheese is essential here to help emulsify the sauce.
Where to buy: Unprecedented blocks of American cheese can be found on the supermarket cold meats; Ask you to cut a piece of 4 ounces.
Substitutes: Cheddar cheese for Swiss or Gruyère. Parmesan for Manchego, Questa Fresco or Pecorino Romano. Mozzarella for Provolone or Chihuahua cheese.
Ben culinary writer Weiner.
