Mac and Cheese SMACKDOWN benefit

Chicago's organic schools project will be hosting a mac and cheese cook-off to raise money for their worthwhile cause.

ONE INCREDIBLE MAC-AND-CHEESE COOK-OFF,
FOR ONE TRULY REMARKABLE CAUSE.


Thursday, February 19th, 2009

Goose Island Brewery / Wrigleyville

7:00 - 10:00 pm

3535 N Clark Ave, Chicago, Illinois 60657

$50/person in advance or $75/person at the door

WHAT IS SMACKDOWN?

The ultimate culinary showdown. A handful of Chicago’s hottest professional chefs and 15 culinary amateurs battle it out for the MACdaddy title. Guests get to revel in some of the best mac-and-cheese they’ve ever encountered. And a panel of celebrity judges choose the winner. Price of admission includes mac-and-cheese tasting, appetizers, desserts, beer, wine, and an exclusive MACtini cocktail created by Chicago’s infamous mixologist Adam Seger from Nacional 27, live entertainment, a silent auction and more.

the celebrity chefs that are going to be cooking mac and cheese are:

Top Chef Stephanie Izard

Giuseppe Tentori--Boka Restaurant Group

Chris Pandel of The Bristol

Amalia Obermeier-Smith from Kuma’s Corner

John Chiakulas / Mity Nice, Foodlife

Roger Herring / Socca


Competing against all these hacks will be.....yours truly. Wish them luck. They'll need it. My mac and cheese kung fu is fierce.


I'd love to see some LTH'ers at this event, which should be a good time and benefits a very good cause.

for more info, or to buy tickets, go to the website.

With two LTHers participating as contestants, this event really deserves the LTH icon. Come on out and root for us to take down these fancy celebrity chefs.

Kennyz wrote:With two LTHers participating as contestants, this event really deserves the LTH icon. Come on out and root for us to take down these fancy celebrity chefs.

I think I'll be able to make it, but need to soften up my wife a bit first. She's on call the night before, and thus pretty much guaranteed to be too tired to attend that evening. Time to accrue some brownie points so that I don't get smacked down for going out without her on a post-call night

Team Sparky's been accepted as a contestant, and is waiting to wipe up the floor with your respective 13X9 pans!

Really looking forward to this - husband and I have purchased our tickets and are bringing a friend along as well. Good thing I'm not a judge, as it's pretty rare for me to meet a mac and cheese I don't like. Must be the Wisconsin in me... I mean come on - pasta & cheese, it's just sad when people manage to screw it up. Anyway, LTH-er's - we'll be cheering for you! (And for Stephanie Izzard too - she's just so darned cute.)

LynnB wrote:Really looking forward to this - husband and I have purchased our tickets and are bringing a friend along as well. Good thing I'm not a judge, as it's pretty rare for me to meet a mac and cheese I don't like. Must be the Wisconsin in me... I mean come on - pasta & cheese, it's just sad when people manage to screw it up. Anyway, LTH-er's - we'll be cheering for you! (And for Stephanie Izzard too - she's just so darned cute.)

is it sucking up if I tell you that my recipe uses lots of Wisconsin cheese?

This looks pretty cool. I may have to check this out.

yeah, it promises to be lots of fun. so that's now three LTH'ers among the 15 contestants?

do either of you two care to reveal anything about your entries?

elakin wrote:do either of you two care to reveal anything about your entries?

I will if you will. Maybe

Right now I'm scrambling to re-think it in an organic context - we're starting from Sparky's Magical Mac and Cheese recipe, but I will probably dink with the specific cheeses and topping (if Sparky agrees.)

Anybody got a blowtorch? I'd hate for all the LTHers to go down for lack of an appliance....

Mhays wrote:Right now I'm scrambling to re-think it in an organic context - we're starting from Sparky's Magical Mac and Cheese recipe, but I will probably dink with the specific cheeses and topping (if Sparky agrees.)

Anybody got a blowtorch? I'd hate for all the LTHers to go down for lack of an appliance....

Really need a blowtorch? If so, I'd be happy to bring mine.

OK, enemy mine, how do you plan to crisp up the top as it sits all evening in a 140 degree oven? I was thinking a torch might be good insurance (though I don't know if it would be against the rules or not) Frankly, I've never used one before, but it's the only solution I could come up with. (waits for calculating mwuh-ha-ha-ha!)

Sparky is quite bummed it's not an Iron Chef scenario, but he's pretty excited nonetheless. I'm sure he will provide sufficient rhetoric to make up for the actual on-site cooking...

Mhays wrote:OK, enemy mine, how do you plan to crisp up the top as it sits all evening in a 140 degree oven? I was thinking a torch might be good insurance (though I don't know if it would be against the rules or not) Frankly, I've never used one before, but it's the only solution I could come up with. (waits for calculating mwuh-ha-ha-ha!)

Sparky is quite bummed it's not an Iron Chef scenario, but he's pretty excited nonetheless. I'm sure he will provide sufficient rhetoric to make up for the actual on-site cooking...

I don't think the plan is to have it sit in a 140 degree oven. I think they are going to warm it in some regular temperature oven (350 would be my guess) until a thermometer inserted into the center reads 140 degrees. If that's the case, your topping should crisp up just fine.

But I'd be happy to watch you fumble with the first-time blow-torch use . Better leave the child at home though.

Riding off the success of the rice krispie treats, my entry (were I able to make it) would be:

dry Spanish fideos macarrones
manchego
tetilla campobello
sherry
cream
saffron
paprika
diced Palacios chorizo
crushed kettle potato chip crust

Theft openly welcomed.

Santander wrote:Riding off the success of the rice krispie treats, my entry (were I able to make it) would be:

dry Spanish fideos macarrones
manchego
tetilla campobello
sherry
cream
saffron
paprika
diced Palacios chorizo
crushed kettle potato chip crust

Theft openly welcomed.

Sounds good, but I fear it would have the same fate as is likely for my recipe. I suspect it will be popular with the grownups, but not a real winner in school cafeterias. My guess is that the mystery judges are school kids.

michelle, the description says that you're supposed to bring a fully-cooked dish and they're just going to warm it up to 140, which, i think is more or less going to happen as kenny described.

i was actually thinking that the strategy of how to best handle the on-site re-warming would be one of the bigger factors.

as for my mac and cheese--no gimmicks. it's just straight up really good mac and cheese. no bacon. no peas. no prosciutto. no fancy cheeses. nothing organic. nada.

my gimmick is no gimmicks.

elakin wrote:as for my mac and cheese--no gimmicks. it's just straight up really good mac and cheese. no bacon. no peas. no prosciutto. no fancy cheeses. nothing organic. nada.

Safe to say I'm taking a different slant, but I think your strategy is probably more sound. I'm making macaroni with truffled gorgonzola and diced apples, with a stravecchio-truffle-crumb topping.

ooooh. i'll be stopping by your table.

what pasta shape are you using?

What, should I be trying to keep my eight-year-old from using a blowtorch? What are you suggesting, Kenny?

I suppose if we want a shot at this thing, I should read the email they sent more closely - I see there is a request for "special warming instructions." I agree, elakin, the re-warming could make or break the dish. I plan to go pick up my pan with Sparky on Friday afternoon, I will ask at that time.

Santander, you have until Friday to send in a submission!

elakin wrote:ooooh. i'll be stopping by your table.

what pasta shape are you using?

haven't settled on that yet. Maybe regular old elbows.

yeah, i'm still undecided on my pasta shape as well. maybe penne, rotini, or fusilli.

i think it's best to keep "special re-warming instructions" minimal, if at all. i've worked the kitchen for these kind of events and you'll be pretty fortunate if your "special instructions" are heeded. i'd tailor your preparation to the re-heat, not vice versa.

Our usual mac and cheese noodle is cavatappi rigati, I think I'll stick with that - I like the extra bend and the lines. When are you guys planning to pick up your pans? We could get together for a late lunch...

i was thinking about going to get the pan this friday--2/13. and lunch sounds great. it'd be great to meet up with you guys before this event.

any suggestions about places close by? i don't get down that way too often and there are probably lots of good spots.

Awesome! I defer to Kenny, who hopefully can make it and (I think) lives not too far from there, I don't know the area either. (Keep in mind I'll have Sparky with me, which likely means conversation will tend towards Legos and Batman.)

I'll be out of town Friday, but I suggest Coalfire. If you want to wait until Monday, I could probbaly join.

Been dying to try Coalfire! I could probably wait until Monday (we're free all day in that event, probably getting together with other kids but that's flexible) elakin?

Was just out buying cheese...

Coalfire is closed for lunch, and on Mondays. Maybe Habana Libre or Butterfly for Sushi.

Ah! Now I'm oriented - thanks nic - either of those would work fine for me. Let me know, guys!

I don't do Butterfly at lunchtime.

Habana Libre sounds like an excellent idea.

too bad about coalfire. i've been wanting to try that place.

monday's no good for me. after that, the next possible day i could do it would be wednesday, and that seems like cutting it a bit close. i think i need to get it done this weekend at some point.

so if you guys want to do lunch on monday, i'll have to miss it. i think i'm going to plan on going over there friday to pick up the pan.