So simple, so comforting, so adaptable. The classic mac’n’cheese is undoubtedly a must-have in your culinary repertoire, if only for satisfying those personal cravings every now and again. However… the humble macaroni cheese can be swiftly transformed and elevated to numerous levels of sophistication, and merit adoration of the many through a few simple tweaks. Lobster, short rib of beef, jalapeno, scallop, duck, the list goes on.

My dear friend and ridiculously talented artist Sam Adams recently commented on an Instagram picture of my ‘hamburger’ mac’n’cheese with a desire to nail down this dish, so here’s the basic recipe with a couple of options to subsequently pimp it up. (do check out https://www.samadamsart.com.au – such a superstar)

Ingredients

• 250g dried pasta (macaroni of some description)
• 40g butter
• 40g plain flour
• 500ml milk (can be warmed and flavoured with aromatics, but this isn’t essential)
• 1 tsp mustard (English is good but feel free to experiment)
• 200g grated cheese (cheddar works well but you can try all sorts of combinations)

Method

The summary of this recipe is: make a roux, add cheese, combine with cooked pasta and then bake.

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add the pasta, cooking until al dente or for a minute less than the packet instructions.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
3. To make the roux, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat and then stir in the flour.
4. Continue to stir for a minute or so to cook out the flour.
5. Add a splash of milk and you’ll see how it’s absorbed as you stir the mixture.
6. Continue to slowly add the milk in gradually so that you end up with a smooth, thick white sauce.
7. Add in the mustard if desired.
8. Take the sauce off the heat and stir in the grated cheese until it melts.
9. Give the sauce a quick taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.
10. Mix your pasta with the sauce and pour it into an ovenproof dish.
11. You can now top the dish with a little extra cheese or perhaps breadcrumbs.
12. Bake for around 20 minutes until everything is molten, bubbling and golden.

So that’s the basics. If you then want to start getting adventurous, here are some ideas to experiment with:

Hamburger-style: Use American mustard in the sauce, fry off 150g beef mince to add to the mix, and then top with slices of pickle and slices of filthy dirty plastic cheese. Surprisingly good.

Short rib of beef: Braise the beef until perfectly tender. Pour a layer of thick rich beef gravy into the base of your dish before topping with the macaroni cheese mix, then wedge the beef ribs into the pasta before baking. This also works well with pickled jalapenos to cut through the richness.

Korean: Add a few spoonfuls of Kimchi and some Gochujang into the sauce. Top with toasted sesame and sliced spring onions once it comes out of the oven.

Do let me know your favourite flavour combos!