Can you wait a few more weeks for City Hall to open? We're champing at the bit. In the meantime, after reading Parts 1 and 2 of last week's interview with owner Steve Haas and executive chef Tom Azar, you can whip up some of this smoky, spicy, sweet, and sassy chorizo maple mac 'n' cheese. That should tide you over until the end of this month, when Azar will happily provide a batch at the new brasserie. Check out the recipe after the jump.
Chorizo Maple Mac 'n' Cheese
Serves 4
1 cup ground chorizo
1 cup fontina cheese, grated
8 oz brie cheese
½ cup sharp cheddar, grated
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
8 oz macaroni
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
½ tsp nutmeg
3 cups heavy whipping cream
panko bread crumbs and olive oil (optional)
Directions: Cook chorizo in a medium-size sauce pot to extract the fat. Drain fat and return to the pot. Add the heavy cream to pot and reduce by half. Add the cheese and cook on low heat until cheese is melted and incorporated. (Be careful not to let the pot get too hot, or the cheese will curdle.) Cook pasta according to directions on the box. Do not rinse macaroni after it is cooked. Add it to the cheese sauce, mix thoroughly, and add salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. If the mixture is too thick, you can thin it with a bit of milk.
Optional: If you want to bake it, sprinkle some panko-style bread crumbs and grated Parmesan and drizzle with olive oil; then bake in a 350-degree oven for about ten minutes.
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