Chef Traci Vincent Druilhet has done her best to duplicate her grandmother’s baked macaroni and cheese from taste memory as her grandmother never used a recipe.

“Extra-large elbow pasta, Magnalite aluminum turkey roasting pot, sharp cheddar cheese and lots of love,” Druilhet told Blavity. “These were essential ingredients in my grandmother Masel Hurst Vincent, my MoMo’s mac and cheese. Although my Momo never used a recipe, I have done my best to write down and duplicate her mac and cheese. I have consumed mac and cheese at parties and restaurants around the country and even entered mac and cheese cooking competitions.”

Through her tasting experiences, Druilhet concluded that many food lovers understand that all mac and cheese is not created equal.

“Sometimes mac and cheese is dry, breadcrumbs are added, it lacks flavor, the sauce is too wet and runny, or it is made with a white cheese, which can create a debate. My culinary school education taught me that my grandmother didn’t follow a traditional French recipe using a Mother sauce (Béchamel) using flour and oil white roux and then adding cheese to make a Mornay sauce. She made a savory custard and poured that over the cooked pasta to finish off in the oven.”

The custard style doesn’t use flour and is simpler to prepare.

“My MoMo’s mac and cheese had just enough eggs to make your portion stand up on your plate in whatever shape it was cut. It had the perfect ratio of oozy cheese to pasta. It was never over-salted and she always put it in the broiler for a few minutes at the end of the cooking process to make a brown crust on the very top for that crunchy-yet-gooey bite that only seared cheese will allow. Having consumed mac and cheese many times over by now, I realize the secret ingredient is love. My Momo was one of the kindest people you would ever meet, and she loved each of us through her cooking. She gave us only the best ingredients. No processed cheese product is used here. The sense of taste is the strongest memory. I hope you make this macaroni and cheese for those you love.”

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