Macaroni Gratin by Chef Marc

Macaroni Gratin

The French version of mac and cheese!

with Chef Marc Chalopin

Executive Chef

Ecole Ducasse Manila

And the expert on Macaroni Gratin ..... Chloe Chalopin!

What is a gratin ?

• A gratin is a dish that has that nice golden crust on the top.

• It is usually created with breadcrumbs , fat, and a lot of heat from the top.

• In our recipe, we will use lots and lots of cheese.

The Ingredients

• Pasta

• Cream

• Milk

• Cheese

Chef Chloe would like to ask you a question.....

Multiple Choice

Which pasta shape is used in this recipe ?

PENNE PASTA

• Even though the dish is called macaroni gratin, penne shaped pasta is used in this recipe.

• Penne means "pen" in Italian.

• This pasta is said to look like a "quill" or what they used to write with before.

This is a quill.........

People dipped it in ink and used it for writing. Does it look like penne pasta?

Multiple Select

What makes this recipe much yummier than regular mac and cheese? Remember that there can be more than one answer.

• The pasta is boiled in milk too.

• We add cream to the recipe.

• We use non-fat milk.

• We add bacon.

Recipe Secrets

This version of mac and cheese is so much better than others, because we boil the pasta in milk and add a lot of cream!

Multiple Choice

What cheese do you top your gratin with ?

• Cheez Whiz

• Monterey Jack Cheese

• Gruyere

The Cheese

• Chef Marc tops his gratin with Monterey Jack Cheese known for its mild flavor and slight sweetness.

• However, when you cook this at home, you may choose the cheese that you love.

• Any cheese will do.

Poll

Which animals produce milk popularly used to make cheese?

The milk from cows, goats, and sheep is used to make most of the cheese in the world.

However, we can get milk from horses and camels as well. Camel milk is very sour.

In fact, the world's most expensive cheese comes from donkey milk and is called "pulle cheese."

It comes from Serbia.

Multiple Choice

What about cream? Where does cream come from?

• Milk

• Butter

• Donkeys

Cream is actually the fatty part of the milk.

After removing all of the excess water, we are left with the fat part that we consume as cream.

Multiple Select

Is France the only country with its version of mac and cheese?

• YES

• NO

Mac and Cheese All Over the World

There is a version of mac and cheese in most countries.

Switzerland has one of the oldest versions called "alplermagronen" and is topped with caramelized onion and bacon.

Sounds yummy, right ?

American President Thomas Jefferson loved macaroni and cheese so much that he used to serve it at the White House dinners.

Many people even say mac and cheese is an American dish.

The Japanese even have a version with chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, and panko breadcrumbs.

Now, its your turn to create your own version ...

Chef Marc and Chloe will be waiting for your entries!