serves
8-16
prep
40 minutes
cook
55 minutes
difficulty
Mid
serves
8-16
people
preparation
40
minutes
cooking
55
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
Mac and cheese
- 1 cup (100 g) dry macaroni noodles, cooked
- 1½ cups (185 g) shredded aged cheddar cheese
- 1 scant cup (235ml) whole milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp (5 g) dry mustard powder
- ¾tsp (4 g) kosher salt
- ¼ tsp (1 g) freshly ground black pepper
Batter
- 1¼ cups (160 g) plain (all-purpose) flour, divided
- 1 cup (150 g) cornmeal
- 1 tbsp (4 tsp, 20 g) baking powder
- 1 tsp (5 g) kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp (45 g) granulated sugar
- 1½ cups (375 ml) whole milk
- 1 egg
- Canola oil, for frying
Spicy Ketchup
- ½ cup (125 ml) ketchup
- 3 tsp (15 ml) Sriracha
Cooling and chilling time: 2½-3 hours.
Instructions
- For the spicy ketchup, mix together ketchup and hot sauce in a small bowl. Refrigerate.
- For the mac and cheese, heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and spray a 20 cm (8 in) square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Scatter half the cooked macaroni noodles into prepared pan followed by half the cheese. Top with the remaining noodles and cheese; set aside.
- Whisk together milk, eggs, mustard powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour mixture over noodles and cheese and bake until set, about 30 to 35 minutes.
- Remove to cooling rack to cool completely. Place in fridge to chill for 2 hours.
- To finish, line a rimmed baking sheet with a wire cooling rack; set aside. Heat oven to 93°C (200°F).
- Cut mac and cheese in half and cut each half onto eight 1x4-inch (2x10cm) sticks. Place sticks into a shallow dish and toss with ¼ cup flour (30g); set aside.
- Whisk together remaining flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, pepper and sugar in a large bowl. Add milk and egg and whisk to combine.
- Heat 5 cm (2 in) of oil to 180°C (350°F) in a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Dip mac and cheese sticks in batter and fry in batches of two until golden, about 2 to 4 minutes, flipping halfway. Transfer to prepared rack and place in oven to keep warm while frying remaining sticks. Serve with spicy ketchup.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
