divine angst

My birthday present from Mr. Angst was, as you may recall, a sauce class at a local cooking school.

Last Thursday was the second of two classes, and since then, I’ve been trying to figure out ways to work what I learned into our weekly diet.

So last night, I made these chicken breasts–again–but instead of just throwing together a pan sauce, I made a roux in the pan, with the cooking oil and drippings, and whipped up a veloute with some of the same flavors as the regular recipe.

Verdict: Mr. Angst didn’t really like the roux flavor. Oh well.

I also wanted to try something different, so I made a dessert sabayon (or, if you are Italian, like me, a zabaliogne) with some white wine, egg yolks, and sugar, and served it over some sauteed apple slices. (Those Honeycrisps are getting eaten very quickly!)

Verdict: Mr. Angst proclaimed it “good, but with kind of that heavy, eggy flavor.” Well, duh. It’s made of egg yolks, sugar, and wine. That one might get used again, in lieu of creme anglaise over souffles, maybe.

Tonight, I wanted to keep going. I have an event to attend on Sunday, to which I promised I’d bring mac and cheese. Usually, when I make mac and cheese, I do this sort of minimal version that has about five ingredients and takes about five minutes to throw together: layer elbow noodles, shredded or sliced cheddar, butter, and salt-and-pepper (yes, that is a single ingredient), and pour evaporated milk over the top before baking. It’s good–and uber-cheesy–but I wanted to try “real” mac and cheese. So tonight I threw together a cheese sauce (bechamel plus shredded cheddar) and boiled up some egg noodles. Because I like a cheesy crust on my mac and cheese, I did throw a layer of just straight cheese on top, but that was my only concession to the quick-and-dirty version I usually make.

Verdict: not in yet. Will report later, maybe with pictures.

So far, then, I’ve made several of the sauces I didn’t know how to make already. (I already had Hollandaise, beurre blanc, and tomato sauce down.) What’s left? Brown sauce, maybe, even though I don’t really like brown sauce; mayonnaise, which Mr. Angst will NEVER eat, so I’m not sure it’s worth using up the oil; and a mushroom “foam” which tasted AWESOME but looked like puke.

I’m certainly trying to get my money’s worth out of the class, though. If the mac and cheese comes off, I may have.

Update 1: My verdict? The mac and cheese is super yummy! It’s cheesy but not too cheesy; the cheese didn’t separate or get oily like it sometimes does, and the cheesy on the top got mostly crusty (I needed more time in the oven and was too impatient). We’ll see what the rest of the family says when the rest of the family gets home later.