Sticky Gammon Beer Mac & Cheese
My lovely other half Jonny took me to this restaurant, Berners Tavern as a surprise on our Anniversary. It's a beautiful restaurant with such charm & history, just set off Oxford Street in Central London. This as also my first experience of a Michelin start restaurant and it definitely didn't disappoint. It was just amazing... The food, the atmosphere, everything really!! I would certainly recommend a visit, but do book ahead as it has to be one of the most sort after food in London!
Ingredients - For the Pulled Pork...
1.5kg of gammon
500ml of pineapple juice
250ml water
1 tbsp ground allspice
50g black treacle
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
3 tbsp clear honey
Method
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Heat the oven to 160C (140C fan or Gas mark 3). Put the gammon in a large, deep roasting tin. Pour in 400ml of the pineapple juice, and all the water. Cover tightly with a few sheets of baking foil., then pop in the oven and bake for 4 hrs. About half the way through, check the liquid level and turn the gammon
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Remove the gammon from the pot and discard the liquid. Cut away the majority of the fat
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In a blender, mix together the 100ml of pineapple juice, all spice, black treacle, ketchup and honey. Combine to a puree. return the gammon to the roasting tin and spoon over the puree
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Turn the oven up to 200C (180C Fan or Gas Mark 6). Roast the gammon for 30 mins until it’s nice and sticky, and can loosely break into chunks
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Let the gammon cool. Once cooled, break up the gammon and stir it through any of the remaining sticky sauce
Tip- The gammon can be kept in the fridge for unto 48 hrs, so you can always make it ahead
Ingredients - For the Mac & Cheese...
50g butter
2 grated garlic cloves
500ml milk
330ml pale ale
250g macaroni
100g grated cheddar
1x large mozzarella ball
Method
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In a large pan, melt the butter and fry the garlic for 2 minutes. Pour in the beer and milk, then bring to a gentle bubble. Add the pasta and stir intermittently for around 20 mins until the pasta is cooked
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Stir in the majority of the cheddar and half the mozzarella. When it’s all melted in, add the gammon to the pasta and mix together. Tip the pasta into an oven proof dish, sprinkle over the remaining cheddar and the rest of the mozzarella and grill for 7-10 mins until golden brown
Tip- If you like your mac & cheese extra cheesy, rustle up an extra cheese sauce and pour this over just before you grill the mac & cheese. It really does make this dish extra special…. Make sure your not counting the calories with this one though 😉 Please follow my cheese sauce recipe below.
The additional cheese sauce
250ml milk
2 tbsp plain flour
25g butter
50g strong cheddar cheese
Method
- Pour the milk into a large saucepan, and then add the flour & butter. Turn on the heat to medium and start to whisk the mixture together. Keep whisking the mixture quickly until the bluet melts and the mixture comes to the boil. The flour will disappear and the mixture will thicken.
- Whisk for another couple of minutes, then stir in the cheese until it has melted.