"MacAndCheese" news and stories

• Ever tasted a Dekopon? Well, now's your chance: The once-obscure Japanese citrus is popping in California grocery stores.
• The cioppino is a West Coast classic...and infinitely variable.
• Taco Asylum, a hip, stylized taqueria, seems to be hitting all the right notes.
• Yes, it's mac and cheese. But it's not just any mac and cheese. It's from the Bakersfield Sheraton.

Photo: Hyperion

'Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals'
by Jamie Oliver
Hyperion -- 2009
Buy it on Amazon

The revolution will not be supersized. Jamie Oliver is a man on a mission to reclaim traditional home cooking from the fast and processed food purveyors of the world via simple, inexpensive, appealing recipes.

The book kicks off with a rah-rah manifesto that dovetails with Oliver's televised traveling roadshows geared toward getting the least healthy eaters in the UK and the USA to back out of the drive-thru and drive home healthier eating habits, centered around the debatably lost art of home cooking. He presents a compelling argument with solid, satisfying building-block recipes and oddly heartstring-plucking photo profiles of plain ol' folks cooking at home.

See what we tested and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

Caramelized balsamic figs & ricotta mousse. Photo: YumSugar.

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week:

Balsamic caramelized figs make a prime topping for ricotta mousse.

Warming soups that are perfect for the season.

Eight tasty libations straight from the set of "Mad Men."

Macaroni and cheese goes TexMex with chiles and cilantro.

Even if you don't live in wine country, have a harvest party full of fall flavor.

Mixed-mushroom pizza makes for a fast and easy dinner.

Would you say yes if your significant other proposed via cupcake?

Mac & cheese with duck and bourbon. Photo: Beer & Nosh.

This picture of macaroni and cheese with croutons, from the San Francisco-based blog Beer & Nosh, looks delicious. A simple statement, sure. But macaroni and cheese is simple food. And there's really no denying the goodness of such a perfect combination of starch and fat -- especially with some extra (and crunchy!) starch thrown on top. But what if we told you that this particular macaroni was "swimming in duck fat?"

According to the blog's author Jesse, one of America's most beloved comfort foods was made even more comforting -- and, admittedly, heart-attack inducing -- with duck fat croutons, duck fat roux and even duck skin cracklings (you guessed it!) fried in duck fat.

While we feel a little sorry for the poor duck, we have to thank him for giving this macaroni and cheese his all, literally. Oh, there's also supposedly some bourbon in there, but at this point, who really cares?

[Via Beer & Nosh]

Growing up, macaroni and cheese usually involved boiling macaroni and then mixing it with a powdered cheese, milk, and butter. It was not until I discovered the diversity of cheeses available that I began to experiment. I say, throw away the powder and go to your local cheese purveyor to discover the various ways you can master the mac n' cheese.

Like fondues, I think that using more than one cheese can add a heightened richness. During these cold months, I crave a warm, creamy, milky, crunchy macaroni and cheese with a savory flavor. I often use cheddar cheese as the base. Then, I add a small amount of Gorgonzola Dolce and Emmenthaler.

Below are 8 ways to make the perfect mac n' cheese:

1. Martha Stewart's World's Best Mac and Cheese - The chipotle chile powder in this recipe is sure to spice up your ordinary mac n' cheese.
2. Cheesemonger's Mac and Cheese - This one uses Brie.
3. Grant's Mac and Cheese
4. Mac n' Cheese with Bacon
5. Wisconsin Mac and Cheese
6. Mac and Cheese with Leeks and Gorgonzola
7. Mac and Cheese with Buffalo Chicken
8. Mac and Cheese with Caramelized Shallots

What are some of your favorite cheeses to use when making mac and cheese?