Inspiration can be a fickle thing. I can't count the number of times I've written an article and scrapped the whole thing after finishing it. In looking for inspiration, the kinds of foods that excite me most are those that push science and flavor simultaneously. This approach to food has two major drawbacks. It can take many attempts to achieve the result I envision, and many people are not nearly as curious about new flavor ideas as I am. Then, as a curveball, I can have a random conversation that completely redirects my original inspiration just a couple of lines in. 

I became aware of the challenges of cutting-edge food early in my career and found other approaches to inspiration and creativity that allowed for less frustration and broader appeal. One of my favorite starting points when being creative is to take comfort food and rethink or elevate it. This is by no means an original idea, but one I borrowed from many individuals after seeing the possibilities they presented in their food. One of my longtime and playful favorites is the movie "Ratatouille," which takes its namesake dish and elevates it into a visual, culinary and psychological delight. 

One of the first things I teach students about creating recipes is subjectivity. Just because you love something doesn't mean everyone else will agree. You can't make everyone love everything, but you can attempt to create something that most people will enjoy. 

It is helpful to have several people taste a dish to help find the middle ground in flavor, seasoning and texture. Creating a strong baseline, or original recipe, is the first step in the process. For the sake of fun, let's talk about macaroni and cheese, which is about as subjective as food gets. Everyone has a preference and an opinion about who makes the best version. It's almost like starting a conversation about pizza or horseshoes.

At its simplest, macaroni and cheese is pasta in a cheese sauce. A quick search reminds me that many cultures have a version of pasta with cheese, some even baked inside a pie crust. This is where my brain starts pulling the idea apart and examining which elements are necessary to define the dish. 

Is fettuccine Alfredo a version of macaroni and cheese? What about cacio e pepe? Both feature pasta and cheese, but with very different executions. I see them as dishes that both fall under the broader macaroni-and-cheese concept while remaining distinct in their own right. However, that's my subjective opinion. Many people would disagree, while others might see the connection. Either way, my goal is to hopefully inspire a little creativity, not permanently define a category of food. 

So now we have two starting points: pasta and cheese sauce. The next part is a peek into my thinking process, so bear with me. If we're talking about traditional macaroni and cheese commonly served during holidays and family gatherings, are we discussing a stirred version or a baked version? Are we using béchamel, custard or breadcrumbs? Each has its own strengths, and I love them all. For the sake of this article, let's choose a stirred version with a béchamel sauce and perhaps a topping of breadcrumbs. 

After some research and thought, I found myself thinking about smoked brisket, an easy pairing for cookouts and gatherings. I wanted to avoid bacon because it frequently appears alongside macaroni and cheese, but comfort food is all about familiar flavors. That train of thought led me to Texas Twinkies, brisket-stuffed jalapeños wrapped in bacon. 

The dish still needed something to cut through the richness a bit. What if the jalapeños were candied and we used them to make bacon jam? That would add sweetness and a little heat, but the sugar would ensure there wasn’t too much spice. Then another thought came to mind: I just love caramelized onions. Why not turn them into a smooth puree with a little bit of sugar and apple cider vinegar? The vinegar would give an acid balance to the dish as well as a little simpler complexity from the caramelized onions. For texture, breadcrumbs would be brioche crumbled, tossed in butter and then tossed with freshly minced chives to add another layer of taste and color. 

Now let's think about plating. I would spread a thin layer of onion puree across the bottom of the plate. A toasted long pasta, perhaps angel hair, coated in a rich and creamy cheese sauce, would be tightly twisted and carefully placed in a longer line over the puree. Perhaps the brisket would be perfectly medium-diced, brushed with concentrated beef juices and carefully arranged across the top of the pasta twist. Little drops of bacon jam would top each piece of brisket, followed by the chive breadcrumbs. Hopefully, we have little bits of fresh purple chive flowers to finish the tops with an edible splash of color. 

This type of creativity is fun for me. At the same time, it's much easier to scoop some macaroni and cheese onto a plate, add a few slices of brisket and enjoy a meal with friends and family. 

Though the plated version might feature four cheeses and serve as just one course in a progression of reinterpreted comfort foods paired with beverages — both approaches are delicious. The important thing is to have fun, don’t be afraid to experiment and play with your food and remain open to trying something new. 

Baked mac and cheese 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound macaroni, or I prefer cavatappi (corkscrew) 
• 4 tablespoons butter 
• 4 tablespoons flour 
• 1 quart milk 
• 8 ounces extra sharp cheddar, shredded 
• 8 ounces Monterey jack, shredded 
• 4 ounces parmesan, shredded 
• Salt 
• Pepper 
• Paprika 
• 4 ounces mozzarella, shredded 

Directions: 

1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water to al dente following the box instructions. 
2. Drain. Do not rinse. 
3. Melt butter. Add flour to make a roux. 
4. Cook gently until it no longer smells like raw flour. Do not let it brown. 
5. Add the milk, and whisk over medium low heat until it comes to a light simmer. 
6. Simmer for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Do not let it stick and burn. Should be lump free. 
7. Turn off heat. Add cheddar, jack and parm. 
8. Whisk to melt. Do not turn the heat back on; it may cause the cheese to lump. You can add a couple slices of American cheese. The sodium citrate in it will help the sauce stay smooth. 
9. Add the seasoning. Be careful; there is a lot of salt in cheese, and it takes 5 minutes for salt to fully take effect. Take your time. If it is too thick, add a little water to thin a bit. 
10. Toss pasta in sauce. Place in a baking dish. 
11. Top with shredded mozzarella. 
12. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown on top. 
13. Let cool a couple minutes, and then enjoy!

About

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.