GASTRONORMOUS

The right way to make macaroni and cheese is: to start with a roux; from that create a bechamel; to which you add cheese and spices; and cooked pasta; which you spread in a casserole; top with cheese and/or breadcrumbs; and bake until brown and bubbly. How you make macaroni and cheese on a Friday night, home alone, suffering mightily from a concussion is: to start with Amy’s deluxe macaroni and cheese (don’t judge! a bechamel is too much for the concussion-addled brain); cook less than package directions (6 minutes, tops); mix with cheese-like goo and some extra pasta water; add some truffle oil (no, I am totally not kidding); spread in a casserole; top with breadcrumbs, microplaned parmesan, and black pepper; put in a super hot oven for a few minutes, just until breadcrumbs are toasted (any more and the pasta will be too dry). High class cuisine? Not exactly. Better than the sum of its parts? Indubitably.

(Someday I will share my special homemade macaroni and cheese recipe.)

Saturday I spent indoors (except for going out to walk the dog), cleaning a bit and resting my head, which was still feeling a bit like it was being done in my a grapefruit reamer. Leftovers and some vegetables for dinner.

On Sunday, I was feeling a bit more with it so I went to visit a friend at her for-kicks gig scooping delicious ice cream at Cafe Cluny in the West Village. They have exactly three house-made flavors at any one time, but the flavors rotate daily. Sunday, it was chocolate, vanilla, and dulce de leche. I tasted all three, and the dulce de leche was my favorite. By the time we were done chatting and I ordered my ice cream, though, the dulce was kaput. Sigh! So I had vanilla instead [$4 for 2 scoops]. The vanilla wasn’t a huge compromise–indeed it was delicious. Creamy, egg-y, and chock full of vanilla bean specks proving its authenticity. The cone (also made in house) was a great complement to the ice cream for the first few bites, but by the end had overwhelmed my palate with sweetness. A little less sugar and a pinch more salt would be preferable for me. They have a good range of ice cream flavors, from chocolate mint chip to peanut-chocolate ripple. Next time you find yourself in the West Village, I would definitely recommend stopping by for a couple scoops.

Cafe Cluny
284 West 12th St. (at West 4th)
212-255-6900

Still not feeling up to real cooking, or, well, grocery shopping, I resorted a cheese quesadilla for dinner. I know, bad me! Not the healthiest, but it did contain a fresh vegetable in the form of a jalapeño from my own window box plant! Tune in later for more on that!