Mac n' Cheese Souffle

by Ryan Colthorp
(Munich, Germany)

This is soul food times two. It involves several techniques that I've learned on cooking course... This is not a recipe! This is by no means specific! I'm assuming you've watched Cooking Coarse enough to know how to use the basic cooking methods I'm talking about. After all, this is where I've learned them and knowing these techniques is how I came up with the idea. And besides, I can't tell you any measurements because I didn't measure anything when I made it!
Good luck and I hope it works for you!

Here we go.

-Boil pasta - a bit harder than al dente because it will continue to cook in the oven later
-In a separate pan, start with a roux (equal parts butter and flour).
-Then milk is slowly added to create a Bechemel sauce.
-After whisking thoroughly, add lots of cheese. (I think I just used whatever was in the refrigerator: Parmesan, white cheddar) and I was sure to leave it just a little bit runny because when it bakes some of that liquid evaporates.
-Add any other seasonings or ingredients you like
(salt or I used bouillon, pepper, white wine, good mustard, pesto.. whatever sounds good to you)
-Then most of this cheese mixture gets mixed with the pasta and is poured into an oven proof pan. Set this aside. The rest of the cheese sauce is left for the Souffle.

Souffle:
-Whip egg whites (I think I used 3 or 4) until stiff peak.
-Add the other 3 or 4 egg yolks to the cheese mixture once it is cooled below 165 degrees F. (proteins coagulate!!!)
-Add more cheese (this should thicken sauce slightly)
-Then gently fold the mixture with the whipped egg whites
-Then the souffle mix is completed. Pour it on top of the Macaroni and cheese, sprinkle just little more Parmesan on top for garnish and bake until souffle is cooked through. (10-12 minutes)

Best when served immediately.