Rob Feenie's Mac & Cheese

So I totally can't take any credit for this recipe, it is a totally rip off of Rob Feenie's famous Mac & Cheese. I also must admit that my friend Trish makes it way better than I do, I don't know what I do differently but her version kicks my Mac & Cheese's ass.

You should make it and see for yourself, I'm too lazy to type it all out so here's the recipe on the web. Note that I omit the lobster being that a) I hate seafood, b) I'm not that fancy.

http://www.cactusclubcafe.com/menus/recipes/mac-n-cheese

I did however take some pics of my process when I made it. Enjoy.


Multitasking, scalding milk & crisping bacon



Buy this pasta, this brand was called Serpentini, Feenie calls it Succhietto. Basically look for this shape, it is perfect and don't over cook it!



You will know your rue is ready when you smell popcorn, I just learned this tip and it is a life saver.






You can make it in individual ramekins, but again I'm lazy and not that fancy.

It's not done until the top looks like this, you want yummy crunchy golden cheese

You will eat way more than you probably should, it is that good and even better warmed up the next day.

Mexican Hot Chocolate

Once you make this hot chocolate you will never want to drink any other hot chocolate again. Trust me. Actually trust my husband as he doesn't even like chocolate but he loves drinking this. Mexican chocolate is special as it's mixed with granular sugar and spices so its sweet, spicy, dark and complex. You can eat it raw but its better in things like a mole or hot chocolate. There are lots of brands that you can get in most gourmet shops but I really like Ibarra and I think its the most popular. What also makes this recipe extra special are the marshmallows, they are homemade and not by me. We have this killer bakery called Butter on Dunbar in Vancouver and if you live here you have to go here, it is heaven and the marshmallows are to die for along with everything else they make. If you don't live here, then I'm so sorry for you cause you are missing out.

http://butterbakedgoods.com/

Anyway here's the low down

1 cup cereal cream or whole milk

1 cup water

1 disk of Mexican chocolate

4 homemade marshmallows

In a small heavy bottom pot slowly heat 1/2 cup cereal cream. The less bottom surface area the better as you don't want to scorch the milk. Finely chop up the chocolate, the finer the better as it will melt faster. Mix in the chocolate into the warm milk and whisk. Once the chocolate has melted and incorporated into the milk add the remaining 1/2 cup and whisk until frothy, then add in the water. Continue to whisk until thoroughly heated and frothy, you don't want to scald the milk so just get it hot but not boiling.

Pour into 2 mugs about 3/4 full, then top with marshmallowy goodness. Now the key here is to let the marshmallows melt and form a yummy foam on top of the hot chocolate so wait a minute before you drink it. Its worth the wait and beside then you won't burn your tongue.

Brioche Pudding

When I was going to UBC I got a gig working at La Baguette & L'Eschalote on Granville Island. It was hellish work but the pay was good, the hours flexible and I learned a lot about food. I would do anything to avoid having to serve customers which meant I ended up spending hours in the kitchen doing prep work which was way more appealing to me than dealing with the tourist ooh and ahh over the pastry case.

I had previously worked in kitchens before at Boston Pizza when I was a teen as the salad prep girl and then as a short order cook at the Spanish Banks concession stand but working at the bakery took my food skills up a notch. The best part was working with Mr Dung who was the head pastry chef, he was old enough to likely be my grandfather but he worked harder than anyone there. He was trained in Vietnam and his English was terrible but somehow we got each other and through lots of nodding and pointing he taught me many things.

One of the best things he taught me was to appreciate Brioche Pudding, until then I thought bread pudding was disgusting and I couldn't fathom why anyone would eat it. I used to have to make the custard, chop up the day old brioche, danishes & croissants, butter & sugar the pans, then soak the bread for a least an hour then bake off pan after pan of of the stuff. I did all of this under Mr Dung's watchful eye and he would smile approval when I got it right. Some days I burnt them, some days I under baked them and ended up with mush which had to be thrown out which I tried to do sneakily out the back door and if Mario the owner asked why there was no brioche pudding today I would lie and tell him we did have enough day olds. I don't miss that job since it was hot grueling work but I do miss learning things from Mr Dung.

Anyway this recipe isn't the exact recipe I used at La Baguette because the quantities I used there were huge but this is a pretty tasty Brioche Pudding.


1/2 pound day old brioche, danishes or croissants cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 to 6 pieces)
4 large eggs
1 cups whipping cream
1 cups milk (whole is best but 2% works, don't use skim)
3/4 cups sugar
1 tbsp Grand Marnier, Frangelico or Amaretto
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins or fresh blueberries


Cube up the brioche and set aside. Butter & sugar 1 loaf pan, Pyrex works best. Loosely press brioche into pan, the trick is to get it packed just right, not too firm, not too loose so you get the right ratio of bread to custard. Beat the eggs with the sugar, then add remaining liquids and beat until smooth.

Pour custard into the pan and soak the brioche, get a spoon and press the bread into the liquid. Don't over fill the pan as you don't want it to spill over, just fill until the top layer of bread is submersed. Let the brioche soak in the custard for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours in the fridge. Take the pan out and let it get up to room temperature, preheat oven to 350.

Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, it all depends on how wet the brioche is, sometimes it takes longer. Its done when the edges are slightly golden and you can insert a knife in the centre and it pulls out dry, if there's custard clinging to the knife its not done. Watch it thought at it can over cook quickly and dry out at the end. Remove from the oven and take a knife around the edge when it's still warm to loosen the sides. I recommend chilling the brioche over night before you try to release it from the pan, it will set up better and not loose any moisture.

Serve in 3/4 slices chilled, really good on it's own, better with blueberries & cream or even English custard.