New York Strip. potato au gratin $ 42.00. Cherrywood smoked bacon, pepperonata, pea tendrils, citrus jus $ 38.00. Branzino Fish & Chips. Sticky potatoes, charred lemon, calabrian chili & meyer lemon aioli $ 38.00. Eggplant Parmesan. Pomodoro, mozzarella, parmesan $ 28.00. 1 menu page, ⭐ 1601 reviews, 99 photos - Jus' Mac Montrose menu in Houston. Combine gluten-free macaroni and a touch of cheese sauce magic and, voila, a new (for me) no-wheat mac and cheese is born. For those eschewing wheat, standard mac and cheese has three wheat issues.
Jus Mac Gluten Free
Combine gluten-free macaroni and a touch of cheese sauce magic and, voila, a new (for me) no-wheat mac and cheese is born.
For those eschewing wheat, standard mac and cheese has three wheat issues.
One: Standard macaroni is made from wheat.
Two: Most mac and cheese sauces begin with a roux, where butter and flour are cooked together.
Three: Toasted, wheat-based bread crumbs top what many consider a classic mac and cheese.
I've tired of many of my terrific not-mac and cheese creations, and I really missed the standard and wondered if I could create a wheat-free mac and cheese that was nearly identical.
No surprise, mac is the main wheat source in mac and cheese. First, I searched the web for nonmanufacturer affiliated websites that had tested and ranked wheat-free pasta. The Epicurious website -- epicurious.com/expert-advice/the-best-gluten-free-pasta-you-can-buy-online-article -- recommends an old favorite: Jovial brand 100-percent Organic Brown Rice Gluten-Free Pasta.
About Jovial's brown rice pasta, they quoted their Senior Food Editor Anna Stockwell: 'I've fed it to people who could not tell they were eating gluten-free pasta at all. This stuff is magic.'
Magic? Hmmm. Just what I was looking for.
Jus Mac Gluten Free Nutrition
Lucky me, there was an unopened box of Jovial's organic, gluten-free macaroni (12 ounces/$4.49) in my pantry. Perfect.
Melting cheese into a sauce without a roux was my next hurdle since melting a block of cheddar cheese and stirring it into pasta doesn't work. It separates into a fairly gloppy mess.
So, it's molecular gastronomy to the rescue with a, once again, magical solution: sodium citrate ($7.99/2 ounces at Amazon).
Sodium citrate makes processed cheeses (like American or Swiss) melt beautifully. You've probably used a processed cheese on a burger or grilled cheese without knowing that sodium citrate was the magician pulling a perfect melt out of the hat.
Turning to a Modernist Cuisine mac and cheese sauce that uses cheese (any kind), sodium citrate and liquid (anything from water to milk) solved my no-wheat cheese sauce dilemma.
For those who need to bake a breadcrumb topped macaroni and cheese, my solution to that is grated (I use my food processor's grating blade) baked pork rinds into a topping that looks like bread crumbs.
Preferring the ease of a one-pan, no-bake mac and cheese, while my brown rice macaroni simmered away, I grated 8 ounces of organic, raw milk white cheddar. Using a 2-quart saucepan, I whisked a ½-teaspoon of sodium citrate into a half-cup of water until it dissolved. Then, I brought the water to a low simmer and began whisking in the cheese. At first, once all the cheese was added, the sauce looked a little thin. Soon it began to thicken and looked just like a regular roux-based sauce. I drained the macaroni and stirred it into the sauce until it was mixed well. A few grinds of black pepper, and it was ready to serve.
The results could not have been better. I could not tell that this was a no-wheat mac and cheese. The macaroni was both smooth tasting and my cheese sauce clung perfectly.
Almost magic.
• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at 1leanwizard@gmail.com.
Zero Wheat Macaroni and Cheese
8 ounces, 100-percent Organic Brown Rice Gluten-Free Macaroni
½ teaspoon sodium citrate
½ cup water (or milk, your choice)
8 ounces extra sharp, cheddar cheese, grated (I prefer organic)
Add 2-quarts water to a 5-quart saucepan and place over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon kosher salt (or 1½ teaspoons sea salt) and bring to a boil. Add the macaroni and bring back to boil, while stirring. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes. (I begin tasting at 10 minutes).
While macaroni cooks, add sodium citrate and water to the bottom of a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a simmer of medium heat. Add the cheese, a handful at a time and whisk into the liquid. As each handful melts, add the next handful until all the cheese has been incorporated. If the sauce is too thick add a tablespoon of liquid.
When the macaroni is done, drain and add to the cheese sauce; stirring until well combined.
Serves 4
Jus Mac Gluten Free Mix
Nutrition values per serving: 440 calories (42.5 percent from fat), 20.8 g fat (12 g saturated fat), 43.7 g carbohydrates, 0.3 g sugars, 2 g fiber, 19 g protein, 60 mg cholesterol, 528 mg sodium.