by Claudia Kwan
claudia@foodconnect.com

It’s undoubtedly something we turn to in times of glum weather or glum spirits, but no one ever said comfort food had to be boring to soothe us into a state of calm. Chef de cuisine Dale MacKay of Vancouver’s highly esteemed Lumiere was kind enough to loan his agile culinary mind to FoodConnect for four fabulous suggestions on ways you can enliven the heretofore humble macaroni and cheese.

Four cheese and double smoked Irish bacon
“This one’s pretty basic,” says MacKay. It’s just a way to work in high-end cheeses like Asiago, blue cheese, or whatever else you might want, and the bacon adds an extra facet of a little bite. He says melding the cheeses together works best if you start off with a bechamel sauce.

Chef tip: If you’re going to bake the macaroni and cheese, saute some of the bacon separately in a pan and mix it in with the pasta. Then add some raw strips of bacon on top before you pop the dish into a really hot oven—that will give you a dry crispy crust on top that will texturally contrast with the hot creamy cheesy goodness of the inside.

Duck confit, leek and goat cheese
Leek and duck confit is one of his favourite combinations. It’s the simultaneous earthy and clean taste of the vegetable, and its forgivingness—leek retains its flavour and tastes good even if it’s overcooked, says MacKay.

Chef tip: Prepare the duck confit separately, and rip it into small shreds before throwing it in with the leek. Crumble the goat cheese on top before baking.

Black winter truffle and caramelized shallots
Using white cheddar or a very simple cheese sauce allows the decadent truffle flavour to really pop. Then the shallots add an extra level of richness.

Chef tip: Don’t blow the budget on the truffles when you’re making macaroni and cheese at home. “You’d probably have to put in $40 worth of fresh truffles to get the flavour through the entire dish,” says MacKay. “Use truffle oil for the most part, and then just add in a little bit of actual truffle for texture and colour.”

Mix it into the sauce and don’t overdo it with the truffle oil either—a connoisseur will be able to tell that it’s oil you’re using rather than truffle mushroom if you have too heavy a hand with the bottle.

Head to Italian grocery stores for high end tinned truffles. They’re about half the price of the fresh product, and if you’re baking a dish for a long time in the oven, there’s no significant taste difference.

Porcini mushroom, chive and goat cheese
Saute the porcinis just enough to draw out their earthy aroma. The chives’ onion flavour is a nice contrast, and the green will look nice against the brown of the mushrooms. Again, just sprinkle the goat cheese on top.

Buy a high quality pasta for all of these dishes, because it’s going to be heated up as you put it into the sauce, and baked again. (At Lumiere, they use Trivellini.) Avoid the little elbow macaroni that you used in arts and crafts when you were a kid, because it also won’t likely hold up well.

Chef’s final word: “When you have a mac and cheese put in front of you, you know that’s it, that’s all you’re getting—mac and cheese,” MacKay explains. “It needs to be one of those dishes that make you feel warm and good and comfortable. You should feel happy eating it.”

On that note, I’m happy to volunteer my services as a taste tester for anyone making these dishes. Anyone? Anyone?