Black garlic seems so mysterious. Unless you frequent the high end restaurants in some of the bigger cities, you may not have come across it yet. That’s where it’s apparently all the rage with chefs in the know…
Well, those of us who read are in the know too… and that’s how I first heard about it.
Basically it’s white garlic that has undergone a type of heated fermentation process that most noticeably changes its color from white to black, but also does some amazing things to its flavor. I’ve seen it described as the perfect mix of molasses-like richness and tangy garlic undertones.
But what’s really cool is what this process does to garlic’s already potent health properties (read about the odor-free cancer fighter here).
Black garlic may seem fancy-schmancy but it’s easy to incorporate into one of our all-time favorite recipes: mac and cheese. Give this black garlic mac and cheese a try and impress all your family and friends. While I was researching black garlic I came across this recipe for black garlic mac and cheese at blackgarlic.net. If you want to try some fancier recipes with black garlic, check out their site. But for me, this black mac hits the spot.
Black garlic mac and cheese
- Macaroni pasta, cooked (about ½ cup dried per person)
- Whole or low fat milk (around a cup for each serving)
- Roux or cornstarch (enough to make the milk resemble a thin chowder)
- White cheddar (about ¼ cup per serving)
- Parmesan (2 tablespoons per serving)
- Black garlic cloves (figure ½ clove per serving)
- Salt and white pepper to taste
- Sourdough breadcrumbs
- Bring the milk to a simmer and season with the salt and pepper.
- With a wand mixer or hand blender, add the roux/cornstarch and blend until thickening occurs. The amount of thickener you put in will determine how thick your sauce is.
- Cook your pasta in salted water until al dente, 7-9 minutes. Drain and cool in ice water, reserve.
- Add grated or shredded cheeses & black garlic to sauce base and over a low heat, stir until cheese is melted.
- Add sauce to a saute pan and heat, add pasta and cook for 2 minutes to reduce sauce and finish cooking pasta.
- Place the mac n cheese into the serving bowl and top with the breadcrumbs.
- Pop under the broiler for a minute to crisp, remove and drizzle/sprinkle with a bit more of the black garlic and serve.
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