Crab
mac ’n’
QVÄaS
Crab mac ’n’ cheese
SERVES 2, ALTHOUGH I FEAR
I COULD EAT ALL OF IT WITHOUT
TOOMUCHTROUBLECrabmeat subtly holds
its own in this paprika-
spiked cheese sauce,
giving it an almost honeyed
depth – beguiling at first,
compelling to the finish.
All this rests, however, on
using equal quantities of
the brown meat – like a
ready-made seafood pâté- and the tender sweet-soft
strands of white meat.
I fear I must insist upon it.
I get excellent crabmeat,
in a 50/50 mix, in tubs of
exactly the size specified
below. I hope you will find
these as easy to come by.
And certainly a good
fishmonger, should you be
lucky enough to have one
near you, will be able
to give you exactly what
you need.
MAKE
AHEADPrepare the cheese
sauce (without crab)
up to 1 day ahead.
Press baking parchment onto
the surface and refrigerate.
Reheat in saucepan over
a low heat until piping hot,
cook the pasta and continue
as directed in recipe. Eat when
freshly made.- 100g Gruyère
- 2 x 15ml tablespoons (approx
15g) freshly grated Parmesan - 1½ x 15ml tablespoons (15g)
plain flour - ¼ teaspoon ground mace
- ¼ teaspoon sweet smoked
paprika - ⅛ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
or hot smoked paprika, plus
more to sprinkle at the end - 250ml full-fat milk
- 1 x 15ml tablespoon tomato
purée - 2 x 15ml tablespoons (30g)
unsalted butter