creamy mac and cheese recipe, on the other hand, extra
richness is not a problem; see here). As with cacio e pepe, I
like to add a ton of black pepper to my sauce. The spiciness
complements the cheese nicely.
The one issue that I’ve had with the sauce is the same one
that always crops up when translating restaurant pasta dishes
into recipes that work in the home kitchen: your home pasta
water, used to cook just a single batch of pasta, is not as
starchy as a restaurant’s pasta water, which gets starchier
and starchier as service progresses. This extra starch helps
bind the emulsion. Without it, the cheese can quite easily
break out, turning into a clumpy, gluey mess. To
compensate for this, I add just the barest amount of
cornstarch to the grated cheese before stirring it into the
pasta. Wonderful on its own, this light and creamy sauce is
also the perfect backdrop for any number of seasonal
vegetables or aromatics; see the variations that follow.
nandana
(Nandana)
#1