Pizza Today - November 2017 - 44

HERE ARE SOME TYPES OF CHEDDAR
CHEESE TO CONSIDER:

* English cheddars. The best cheddars
from Britain are the farmhouse wheels
almost impossible to get here. Some of the
greats come from -- drum roll -- a town
called Cheddar. Over there, it is served
with bread or crackers, fruit pies and tarts,
one-dish meals or grated over salads. If this
cheddar is aged over six months, it affords a
more toothsome melt.
*Aged Irish cheddar. This has a nuttiness similar to Swiss but the nice bite of
piquancy that aged cheddars exhibit. This is
a true killer melt or a great grating cheese in
salads if you can afford the $10 per pound
price.
*American aged cheddar. Usually aged
for at least four months, this cheese has less
nuttiness and more up-front richness than
the Irish. This is rich and creamy and melts
great. It costs between $3 and $3.50 per
pound.
* American Feather shredded. This
cheese is rich and creamy. Look out for
food coloring and caking agents to prevent
sticking. Usually the cheaper the cheese, the
more burn you'll get under heat. At $2.70
per pound, this may be a good choice if your
labor costs are climbing.
*American "packer" label cheddar.
This cheese is definitely colored and cheap.
Usually cut into fine shreds, it contains
powdered cellulose as anti-caking. Remember that if you go cheap, part-skim cheeses
will burn quicker. It would be better to use
whole milk cheddar if you are only paying
15 cents and ounce for this stuff.
*Cheddar curd. These are excellent deepfried with beer (just saying!). Pulled directly
from the vats, they have a spongy character
and stand up well before melting. They
harden a little faster than cheddar and cost
almost $4 a pound.
*Imitation cheddar. Mostly water, oil,
whey and salt with artificial color and a host
of preservatives. This comes shredded and
ready to use at 18 cents an ounce. If you're
not worried about giving your customers the
crummiest food in the history of the world,
this is for you!

4 4 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 7

THE AVAILABILITY OF MAC AND CHEESE
IS WIDE. If you have a range, you can cook

your own macaroni from dried. Real masters
of pasta like James Beard Award-winning
chef Hari Cameron makes all his pasta
from scratch in his mac and cheese-themed
restaurant Grandpa Mac's. If you don't have
access to an extruder or the finesse it takes
to go for top-of-the-line mac and cheese
it is available in frozen form at 14 cents an
ounce.

Mac and Cheese Crabcakes
When I worked in Washington D.C.,
I was introduced to the best crab cakes
in the world. Unlike much of the mealy
Midwestern crab cakes I had eaten that
had little or no discernible crab meat
in them, these cakes with the large
chunks of crab meat stood as beacons
to humanity's love of seafood. Here,
I've introduced mac and cheese into the
mix, (don't tell those chefs in D.C.) using
only the few ingredients and binders
that make this a great crab cake. There
is a certain finesse required in cooking
these beauties because they can easily
fall apart if you are heavy handed. A
nice fish spatula is very handy in turning
these.
8 ounces jumbo lump crab meat
1 cup pre-cooked mac and cheese
3 tablespoons aged white cheddar
1 egg
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon fresh chopped chive
½ tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
4 tablespoons panko bread crumbs

Using two bowls, put the crab meat into
the first. Partially strain the wet juices from
the mac and cheese and put that into the
second bowl.
Crack the egg and mix with the mac
and cheese mix, add all the other ingredients into the cheese bowl and gently mix.
Gently fold in the crab meat and let the
mix sit in the refrigerator for 20 minutes
before cooking.
Place 3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil in a sauté pan on medium-high
heat.

Form each cake into the size of the
palm of your hand and gently squeeze,
flattening a little. Press the sides in to form
edges.
Gently place the cake in the pan and
flatten just a bit more. Some chunks may
fall off the edges so you'll have to push
them back into the cake. Cook for 2 to 3
minutes until just golden brown.
Turn the cake over and cook for an
additional 2 minutes until the cheese is just
melting and the outside is browned.
Serve with sliced lemon, cole slaw,
potato salad and tartar sauce.
HERE ARE A FEW NEW TWISTS ON THE
MAC AND CHEESE ANGLE:

* Mac and cheese-cake
* Mac and cheese sushi
* Mac and cheese ice cream with candied
bacon
* Mac and cheese grilled cheese sandwich
* Mac and cheese taco
* Mac and cheese muffins
* Mac and cheese tamales n
JOHN GUTEKANST owns

in Athens, Ohio.

Avalanche Pizza

More
MAC AND CHEESE
STUFFED PORK BALLS

This recipe was an inspiration
a few years ago with mac
and cheese paired with a
small amount of pork loin. The
pounded pork surrounding the
cheesy pasta will stay in place
but even if it opens up, you can
turn it over like nothing ever
happened. We pair this with
what is left of the mac and
cheese or marinara and some
shredded bacon.
LOOK FOR THE MAC AND
CHEESE STUFFED PORK BALLS
RECIPE AT PIZZATODAY.COM/
RECIPE/ENTREES/
http://pizzatoday.com/recipe/entrees/ http://pizzatoday.com/recipe/entrees/ http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - November 2017

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