Heston's Mac and Cheese

Heston Blumenthal is one of my idols. His approach to learning is one of a man dying of thirst. Constantly evolving, constantly improving...and he seems to have an ever expanding capacity for processing and storing information.

Which is why I love trying out his home recipes - he always incorporates techniques that I can use on other dishes, and ideas that I can apply to my other experiments in the kitchen.





Since Heston's Mac and Cheese incorporates English cheeses, I've used a mixture of cheeses that are more available in Australia. It still makes a fabulous mac and cheese, but would definitely differ slightly from the original version.

Heston's Mac and Cheese

200g Macaroni
15ml truffle oil
300ml dry white wine
300ml chicken stock
80g grated hard cheese ( I used a mix of vintage and gruyere)
10g corn flour
80g cream cheese
15g goat's cheese, diced
Extra gruyere (and mozzarella, cause I had some), for gratinating.

If you've got some, infuse the chicken stock with some parmesan rind, and keep it warm.

Mix the grated cheese with cornflour, this will give the sauce a thick, silky texture.



Cook the macaroni in 200ml salted water till all the water is absorbed, and mix in the truffle oil. Alternatively, you can boil the macaroni in salted water till just under al dente, drain and mix in the truffle oil then.



Reduce the white wine to 30ml (a tablespoon and a half), add warm chicken stock to the pan, and whisk in the grated cheese till smooth.



Mix in the cream cheese and warm pasta. Season.



Place half into a suitable baking dish, and sprinkle with goats cheese and then the rest of the pasta and cheese sauce. Finish with some grated gruyere (and mozzarella). Place under a hot grill (I heated mine to about 180C) until melted and brown.

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Creamy, comforting yet luxurious and decadent, this is an adult's version of mac and cheese, that is fantastic for dinner on a cold winter night. For the flavour and texture, it was well worth the effort, and I would love to try the full original recipe with all the English cheeses.

What's your favourite recipe for Mac and cheese?