Testing Recipes at Work

When you are one of two females in a professional kitchen, it is most likely to be assumed that you will be either a. Baking, or b. Making the Salads. Yeah, I like to do both, and I am not one of those chefs who claims to not be a baker, I actually really love to bake, but when it comes to killing a lobster or roasting a beautiful chicken for dinner-bring it on!

I've learned from a lot of talented people, some with decades in professional kitchens, and some from my hometown-this is to include both Grandmothers and my Mom. So when my abilities to make a killer mac and cheese where questioned the other day at work, I laughed, and thought to myself, "I learned that years ago from my mother."

See there are some secrets that she taught me, but then I have also adapted our family recipe to make it my own. Here are two of my personal secrets:

~Undercook the pasta

~Top it with Buttered Bread Crumbs

These two tips make for a mac and cheese that is perfectly al dente when it comes out of the oven, and has a nice textural contrast between the crunchy buttery topping and creamy cheesy sauce.

I am still perfecting the exact amounts of cheese and pasta, but my recipe with definitely be in my book. Especially considering the next day I got rave reviews from a Southern Grandma who devoured my Mac and Cheese the night before!