James Beck’s Habanero and Bacon Mac ‘N Cheese

James Beck’s Habanero and Bacon Mac ‘N Cheese

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James Beck of eatmoreheat.com concocted this seriously hot take on mac ‘n cheese. Of course, for you wimpy Denny’s-loving mama’s boys out there, you can reduce the amount of pepper-bearing cheese materiel and substitute plain old cheese.

Ingredients

6-10 Slices Cooked Bacon, Chopped
1 Tsp. Garlic
1/2 Cup Minced Onion
1 1/2 Sticks Butter
3 Cups Milk
1/2 Cup Flour
1 Tsp. Salt
2 Tsp. Black Pepper
2 Tsp. Green Chile Powder
3 Cups shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
3 Cups shredded Habanero Cheddar Cheese
3-6 New Mexican Chiles, Roasted, Chopped, Seeded and Rinsed
1 lb. Large Elbow Macaroni
1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs

Instructions

Cook the bacon, and set aside the bacon fat. Sauté the onion and garlic in that fat in a large skillet until the onion is tender. Heat the milk over medium heat in a sauce pan. While the milk is heating, add butter to the garlic and onion. When the butter is completely melted and begins to bubble, add the flour and whisk until well mixed. Pour the warm (not boiling) milk into the butter, whisk it until thick. Reduce this mixture to low heat and add the salt, black pepper, and green chile powder. Mix well and simmer for 5 minutes to marry the flavors.

Boil the macaroni until al dente. Preheat your oven to 375 F. Add 3 cups of habanero cheddar, 2 1/2 cups of pepper jack cheese, and the chopped New Mexico chiles to the sauce. Mix this well and remove it from the heat.

Spray a 9×13-inch casserole pan with cooking spray. Place the drained pasta in the pan, then pour the cheese sauce over the top. If the cheese sauce is too thick, mix it gently with a whisk. Sprinkle the pasta mix with the bread crumbs, bacon pieces, and remaining 1/2 cup of pepper jack cheese. Bake it until brown and bubbling (approximately 30 minutes).

Garlic Cheese

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Called pikantny syr (spicy cheese) in Russian, this is a popular appetizer in Siberia and the Russian Far East. This recipe and others can be found in the article Siberian Hot Stuff By Sharon Hudgins

Ingredients

1/2 pound (8 ounces) medium-sharp white cheddar cheese, finely shredded
1/2 pound (8 ounces) Emmentaler cheese, finely shredded
1/4 cup pure sour cream (containing no additives)
1/4 cup full-fat mayonnaise
8 to 10 large garlic cloves, put through a garlic press
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper or hot paprika (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Toss the shredded cheeses by hand in a large bowl. Mix together the sour cream, mayonnaise, pressed garlic, hot pepper (optional), and salt in a small bowl, then add to the cheese, stirring to mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours (and preferably overnight) to let the flavors meld. Let the cheese mixture come to room temperature before serving. Use as a stuffing for small firm ripe tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, as a topping for baked potatoes, or as a spread for dark bread.

Creamy Mac & Cheese

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Rick Browne, Ph.B., host of the PBS show “Barbecue America” and the author of The Best Barbecue on Earth and nine other books, is supplying articles and recipes to the Fiery Foods& Barbecue SuperSite.

This recipe and others can be found in the following article:

 

Flypaper & Foie Gras

A Tale of Two Barbecue Restaurants 

 

By Rick Browne, PH.B. 

  

Ingredients

1 can cream of onion soup

2 cups water or chicken stock

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup Huntsman cheese, crumbled

3 cups cooked elbow macaroni

4 tablespoons buttered bread crumbs

2 tablespoons sweet yellow onion, chopped

1 tablespoon pimiento, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped

 1 teaspoon butter, melted

Creamy Mac & Cheese 

Instructions

Preheat an oven or BBQ to 350 degrees F.


Combine the soup, water, Cheddar cheese, and macaroni in a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. 


Stir in the pimiento, sweet onion and chives and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the dish is hot.

 

Take 4 tablespoons of bread crumbs and sauté them in 1 teaspoon of butter until all the butter is absorbed, and then set crumbs aside.


Top the macaroni mix with the crumbled Huntsman cheese and bread crumbs and bake 5 more minutes or until the cheese melts.


TIP:  Huntsman cheese is an English cheese available in most cheese shops and in the cheese sections of major grocery stores.  It is comprised of layers of Stilton (blue) cheese between layers of Double Gloucester cheese.

White Cheese and Tomato Salad

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Egyptians call any dish of raw vegetables a “salad”even though we would call this a dip or spread.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces feta cheese
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons minced serrano chile
  • 2 tablespoons minced parsley
  • 1 large tomato, finely diced

Instructions

Mash the cheese, oil, lemon, chile, and parsley together with a fork.  Fold in the tomato.  Spread the mixture out on a serving plate and serve with pita toast points, crackers or other crisp bread.

The Ultimate Green Chile Cheeseburger

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By Gwyneth Doland

 

In New Mexico, a hamburger isn’t worth eating until it’s crowned with strips of freshly roasted green chile and gooey melted cheese. In late summer and early fall, when the chiles harvest comes in and vendors set up gas-fired roasters in dirt lots and grocery store parking lots, the sweet, pungent aroma of green chile fills the air and tells us: It’s time to make green chile cheeseburgers!

The ultimate green chile cheeseburger is cooked over a hot charcoal fire. I like to add a couple of small chunks of pecan or mesquite wood to the lump charcoal in my grill. The wood infuses the meat with a slightly smoky flavor that’s a perfect match for the roasted green chile.

This is a simple recipe, so the ingredients really matter; Using freshly ground beef makes a difference you can taste. Ground chuck that’s 85 percent lean delivers excellent flavor and the coarse grind helps keep the patty from becoming too dense. Ask your butcher to coarsely grind some chuck for you, or do it yourself at home with a meat grinder.

To get the most out of the experience you can roast your own fresh green chiles on the grill before cooking the burgers. Pick a handful of long, tapered green chiles (called New Mexico or Anaheim peppers at the market), put them on the grill grate over a hot fire and turn them with tongs until they’re lightly charred all over. Put the chiles in a stainless steel bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let the chiles steam for a few minutes. When they’re cool enough to handle, simply wipe the charred skins off.

The flavor of freshly roasted green chiles mingling with a charcoal grilled burger is what we love about New Mexico, and it’s what keeps visitors coming back again and again.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds fresh, coarsely ground chuck (85 percent lean)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 soft buns
  • 4 roasted and peeled green chiles, stemmed, seeded and cut into strips
  • 4 slices American cheese
  • Iceberg lettuce leaves
  • Tomato slices
  • Optional: ketchup, mustard and/or mayonnaise

Instructions

Preheat a charcoal or gas grill to medium hot.

 

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef with salt and pepper and gently form the mixture into 4 wide, flat patties. Do not squash the patties!

 

Grill the burgers until they reach the desired level of doneness. On a cooler part of the grill, brown the buns slightly.

 

When the burgers are almost ready, top them with the green chile strips and American cheese slices, allowing the cheese to melt. Arrange the diced tomato and shredded lettuce on the bottom buns, then top with the burgers.

 

Serve with homemade french fries.