Macaroni Gratin

• 份量: 4 servings
• 准备时间: 20 minutes
• 总时间: 1 hour 10 minutes

配料

5 oz shrimp (roughly 12 pieces) 12

8 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs (1–2 pieces) 1–2

2 Tbsp sake (divided)

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (divided; to season the shrimp and chicken)

⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper (divided; to season the shrimp and chicken)

¼ cup unsalted butter (2 oz, 4 Tbsp, or ½ stick; use the full amount; plus more for greasing the individual baking dishes, if using) 2 4 ½

½ onion (6 oz, 170 g) 6 170

4 oz cremini mushrooms (roughly 6 pieces; or use button mushrooms) 6

1 Tbsp mirin

6 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)

2½ cups whole milk

½ cup heavy (whipping) cream

1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (to taste)

½ tsp white pepper powder (to taste)

8 oz uncooked elbow macaroni (roughly 2 cups) 2

1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (for the pasta water)

2 oz Gruyère cheese

2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan cheese

3 Tbsp panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

chives (finely chopped, to garnish)

步骤

Gather all the ingredients. I use 4 individual gratin baking dishes measuring 7 x 4½ x 1¼ inches (18 x 11.5 x 3 cm) that hold about 12 fluid oz (360 ml) each. Alternatively, you can use 1 9 x 13-inch baking dish, 2 8 x 8-inch baking dishes, or 1 pan, such as a braiser.

To Prepare the Ingredients

Peel the shells and remove the tails of 5 oz shrimp. If your shrimp is not deveined, score the backs of shrimp and discard the black veins. Put the shrimp in a small bowl and add half of the 2 Tbsp sake. Coat the shrimp well with the sake to remove any odor.

Cut 8 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs along the grain into strips ¾–1 inch (2–2.5 cm) wide. Next, angle your knife back and diagonally (nearly parallel to the cutting board), and then slice the chicken strips against the grain into pieces about ¾–1 inch (2–2.5 cm) square. This sogigiri cutting technique gives the chicken pieces equal thickness and creates more surface area for fast cooking and better absorption of the flavors. Next, put the chicken pieces in a small bowl and add the remaining sake. Coat them well to remove any odor.

Thinly slice ½ onion. Next, slice 4 oz cremini mushrooms ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.

To Cook

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. (I use a Le Creuset 3.75-QT braiser, which can go directly from oven to table.) When the pan is hot, add 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Then, add the shrimp to the pan in a single layer.

Season with some Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook until the bottom side changes to an opaque pinkish-white color.

Flip and cook the other side. When both sides achieve a nice pink color, transfer to a plate. Do not overcook the shrimp; it will continue to cook from the residual heat and finish cooking in the white sauce.

To the same pan, add ¼ cup unsalted butter and let it melt over medium heat. Do not reduce the amount of butter; you will need this full amount of fat to make enough white sauce for your macaroni. Next, add the onion and sauté until coated with the butter.

Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until it‘s no longer pink. Season with more salt and black pepper.

When the chicken is no longer pink, add the mushrooms and coat with the butter.

Add the shrimp back into the pan. Add 1 Tbsp mirin to the mixture and quickly stir into the ingredients.

To Make the White Sauce

Next, start making the roux for the white sauce: Turn the heat to medium low and add 6 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour) to the mixture, stirring quickly to combine it with the ingredients while scraping the bottom of the pot constantly.

It‘s important to cook the flour gently during this step to get rid of its raw taste, but don‘t let it toast or turn dark. You want the roux to be a pale color. If the flour on the bottom of the pan starts to brown, reduce or turn off the heat while you finish blending it with the ingredients. Once you‘ve blended the flour well, turn the heat back on and cook for another 2 minutes.

Then, gradually add ¼ cup of the 2½ cups whole milk. Use your spatula to quickly blend the milk well with the flour mixture. The flour will absorb all the moisture and clump up.

Continue to add more milk, ¼ cup at a time, stirring quickly after each addition to combine it well with the flour and smooth out any clumps. Make sure there are no lumps of flour left when you‘re done adding all the milk.

Once all the milk is incorporated, add ½ cup heavy (whipping) cream and cook for 3–5 minutes, stirring frequently. The mixture will continue to thicken as it cooks.

At this stage, taste the white sauce and season with 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ½ tsp white pepper powder to taste. Be sure to season it a bit more than you normally would. Remember, you will add in the macaroni later, which will make the sauce taste less salty. Turn off the heat and set aside.

To Cook the Macaroni

To cook the pasta, bring a pot of water (I use 3 QT water for 8 oz macaroni) to a rolling boil. Stir in 1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Then, add 8 oz uncooked elbow macaroni and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain well.

Set the pot of white sauce over medium-low heat and add the drained macaroni. Stir well to combine.

To Assemble and Bake

Preheat the oven to 450ºF (230ºC). For a convection oven, reduce the cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). If you will bake and serve in the oven-safe braiser, you can leave the macaroni mixture in the braiser pan as is. If you are using individual baking dishes, grease them with softened butter. Then, divide the macaroni mixture equally into the individual dishes.

Fill each individual baking dish (I use 4 Staub 6.5-inch baking dishes) about 90% full.

Grate 2 oz Gruyère cheese and 2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan cheese and generously sprinkle over the macaroni mixture.

Sprinkle 3 Tbsp panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) on top of the cheese, a bit less than 1 Tbsp for each individual baking dish. Then, place in the oven and switch to Broil on High for 3–5 minutes (depending on the distance from the heat source), or until golden brown. If you don‘t have a broiler, bake in the preheated 450ºF (230ºC) oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

When the cheese is melted and the panko is nicely browned and charred, remove from the oven.

To Serve and Store

Sprinkle finely chopped chives on top and serve immediately. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month.

营养

• 卡路里: 870 kcal
• 总脂肪: 44 g
• 饱和脂肪: 23 g
• 反式脂肪: 1 g
• 胆固醇: 257 mg
• 钠: 1009 mg
• 总碳水化合物: 71 g
• 膳食纤维: 3 g
• 总糖: 13 g
• 蛋白质: 44 g