On YouTube, you will come across many videos where YouTubers have recreated many unique things. Some were successful and others just didn’t feel that lucky. (https://www.techandtrends.com/) This is what exactly Karry from Bon appétit did, she was seen in the test kitchen, where she openly declared that she shared some secrets with Chris Morocco. This is because Karry wants Chris’s super-tasty abilities to the test. Do you know how? Simple, Chris will recreate Bobby Flay’s Macaroni & Cheese Carbonara within just two days.
This is a challenge where Chris needs to replicate this dish all by himself. He will be able to smell it, touch it and even eat it and all the ingredients which were used will be provided to him to recreate the dish. But at no point, he will be able to see it. It sounds crazy enough, but it is a challenge and Chris needs to go through it no matter what. So, by the end of the second day, Karry will return and she will be the ultimate judge of the challenge.
Let me remind you, Bobby Flay’s Macaroni & Cheese Carbonara is no joke. This is because it carries a very authentic and delicate flavor and Chris has to be very careful when he takes up the challenge. Before the starting of the challenge, Chris was getting ready or gearing up as if he is going to war. So, what happens next? What to know? Check the information below.
Table of Contents
Feeling, Touching, And Tasting Blindfolded!
Once all the preparation was made, it is time for the ultimate showdown. Even though Chris is blindfolded, to make it much more convincing that he cannot see, another mask was given to him. The mask was pretty showy though, more like he was doing something else, rather than replicating Bobby Flay’s Macaroni & Cheese Carbonara, oh well, it’s a challenge after all. This means cheating is a no-no. After the mask placed properly, the original dish of Macaroni and Cheese created by Bobby Flay was presented in front of Chris. (Ambien)
After smelling the dish, a bit, Chris describes it to be intensely cheesy, most probably like sharp cheese and mac n cheese. After smelling, it was time to touch it and learn about the texture, and he can “consume” it as well. Chris said that there is a reminiscent of bacon and there is also something, which is pretty firm, dense and salty as well. He has confirmed it to be a pure pork product, something that falls under the realm of guanciale and the dish also has a layer of assertively flavored cheese.
Chris kept tasting and describing the ingredients present on the dish and found the presence of pasta as well. However, Bobby Flay’s Macaroni & Cheese Carbonara has a countless number of ingredients and Chris also guessed the sauce to be bechamel. The base is made with butter, flour a roux that is cooked with milk, and some combination of dairy products are also added. He also feels that there is some pecorino in the dish as it has umami and peppery bite to it and there might be the presence of egg in it as well.
He also added by saying it might be a riff on pasta carbonara. One ingredient he guessed it right, which is the meltiest and softer cheese, which is known as Fontina. However, Chris doesn’t guarantee if the upper layer cheese is Fontina so he claims that he is not quite sure. Chris cannot guess instantly that it was Bobby Flay’s Macaroni & Cheese Carbonara, but he is confirmed that the dish is carbonara mac n cheese.
Recreating time!
After the tasting, touching, and eating was completed, Chris says he is very well aware of the dangerous situation he is currently in. But he didn’t waste any time and started writing down the ingredients, which he has guessed when being blindfolded. He carefully jotted down all the main ingredients that are namely, elbow pasta, guanciale, black pepper, bechamel sauce, butter, pecorino, ham, dairy, fontina, Asiago, and egg yolk.
For Bobby Flay’s Macaroni & Cheese Carbonara recreation dish, the ingredient list that Chris made, appeared to be deceptively simple, but it might be good, or bad at the same time. Chris immediately rushes to the supermarket to get all the ingredients for his dish. Once back from the supermarket, Chris makes a blender of cheeses with pecorino, which is used in a traditional carbonara dish. Along with pecorino Chris added parmesan, Danish fontina, fontina Valdosta, Asiago, and blends each of the cheese separately in a blender and keeps them aside. He makes the bechamel sauce base, and on the other side started boiling the Pasta as well.
The process of recreation for Bobby Flay’s Macaroni & Cheese Carbonara is going smoothly and Chris’s energy is currently on the highest level. Within the bechamel sauce, all the cheeses are added one by one, and soon Chris mixes the sauce well to get the velvety and smooth texture. The main ingredient for Bobby Flay’s Macaroni & Cheese Carbonara, which is the elbow pasta, is all cooked and ready. To stop the cooking, Chris puts the pasta in cold water.
With the sauce and the pasta is made, he quickly switched towards cooking guanciale and he will mix it pancetta. He cuts both the pancetta and guanciale and cooked both of them side by side. He also decided not to use the fat that came from the guanciale, and he eliminated pork fat from the scene. After cooking all the ingredients and starting putting everything together to back the mac n cheese. Once it was done, the texture of the dish is not similar but the dish came out perfect in the 1st attempt.
Ending note
Chris says his dish is definitely delivering the feel of mac n cheese but it is not quite providing the carbonara feeling. Karry gave her honest opinions on Chris’s 1st, 2nd, and 3rd attempt of making the dish and looks like Chris was pretty satisfied. If you are interested to watch the video how Chris made the dish, you will definitely find it on YouTube and can try the recipe by yourself as well.
