It is “Thanksgiving” this weekend, across the water, so in celebration of this I am making Macaroni Cheese for dinner tomorrow with a Chocolate Meringue Roulade for dessert.
When I make Macaroni Cheese I have a certain way to that I make it which I have used many times over the years. I used to make Macaroni Cheese in the traditional method where the cheese sauce is made separate to the macaroni, in two different pans, which created loads of washing up. Nowadays, I tend to make the whole dish in one pan. I start off by cooking the macaroni with a chopped onion in a pan. When it is almost cooked through but still slightly “al dente” I drain the macaroni, add the butter, followed by the flour, milk and stir it all together to prevent any lumps forming. Next, I add the mustard powder, smoked paprika and black pepper. I turn the pan off the heat and add the grated cheese (sometimes I don’t even grate it – lazy and in a hurry). Transfer it to a ovenproof dish, add the breadcrumbs, grated cheese and oatmeal crunchy topping. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes till crunchy and golden brown. Serve with the salad and garlic bread. Deliciously filling and hearty meal for a cold winters day. 🙂
For the Chocolate Roulade I am making a chocolate Swiss roll sponge which I will fill with a layer of melted caramel chocolate bars (mini Mars Bars), a layer of meringue pieces and then I will roll it up before covering it with a chocolate water ganache and more meringue pieces (and probably some sprinkles if the children want to decorate the roulade). I have not made a Swiss Roll for ages and I may well make a génoise sponge for this bake. I am going to use half of this ganache to make some chocolate truffles with later over the weekend.
I will be taking lots of photographs for the methodology of these two bakes to use on a couple of recipe sites which I use. I will share the recipes and the photos along with dietary changes which can be made, as well as, nutritional information with you tomorrow. Looks like Monday is going to be a busy day so for the rest of the weekend I am going to sit back and relax with my family. 🙂