The Baked Macaroni Pie at Every Family Celebration

When I was a boy in Guadeloupe, you could tell how important a day was by the size of the macaroni tray. A Sunday lunch got the ordinary dish. A first communion got the big one. A wedding, a christening, Christmas Eve, and my mother would borrow the giant enamel tray from our neighbour, the one with the chipped blue rim, because ours could not feed everybody.

We called it gratin de macaronis, and it was on every table at every party I remember. Next to the colombo, next to the accras, next to the rice and red beans, there it was: golden on top, a little brown at the edges, firm enough to cut into squares. Not the loose, saucy pasta you get out of a pan. A proper baked macaroni pie that stands up on the plate.

My mother made it the night before. I can still hear the big pot of water rolling on the stove, and see the tins of evaporated milk lined up on the counter like little soldiers. She grated the cheese by hand, a mountain of it, and if one of us six children came too close she would slap the back of our hand with the wooden spoon. Then the eggs, the onion, the thyme, and always a good shake of hot pepper sauce into the milk, because in our house nothing went into the oven without a bit of heat.

The corners were the prize. Crunchy, chewy, the cheese caught dark against the tin. My brothers and I fought over those corners like they were gold.

Today I make it exactly her way, with one change: the heat comes from my own Caribbean Hot Sauce, stirred right into the custard. Let me show you how I make it. The proper way. The way I learned it.

Recipe at a glance

• Cuisine: French Caribbean (Guadeloupe)
• Prep: 20 minutes • Cook: 45 minutes • Total: 65 minutes, plus 15 minutes resting
• Serves: 8 as a side, 6 as a main
• Featured sauce: Caribbean Hot Sauce
• Heat level: 7/10 in the jar, softened to a warm glow by all that cheese and milk
• Diet: Vegetarian (use a vegetarian cheddar)

What you’ll need

This is a party dish, so the quantities are generous. Use a good mature cheddar with some bite, because the mild stuff disappears in the oven. Evaporated milk is not optional. It is what every Caribbean grandmother uses, it is richer than ordinary milk, and it sets with the eggs into something you can slice. You need a baking dish of about 30 by 20cm, at least 6cm deep.

• 500g dried macaroni (short elbow macaroni is best)
• 40g butter, plus a little extra for the dish
• 1 onion (about 150g), very finely chopped
• 1 red pepper (about 150g), very finely chopped
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 x 410g tins evaporated milk
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tbsp Caribbean Hot Sauce, plus extra at the table
• 1 tsp English mustard powder, or 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp smoked paprika, plus a pinch for the top
• A good grating of nutmeg
• 450g mature vegetarian cheddar, grated (350g for inside, 100g for the top)
• 1 tsp fine salt, for the custard, plus more for the pasta water
• Freshly ground black pepper

How I make it

1. Heat the oven and butter the dish. Turn the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Rub the baking dish all over with butter, right into the corners. Those corners are where the best bits come from, so do not skip them.

2. Cook the macaroni short. Bring a big pot of well salted water to the boil, like the sea. Add the macaroni and cook it for 2 minutes less than the packet says. It must still have a bite, because it keeps cooking in the oven. Drain it, rinse it quickly under cold water so it stops cooking, and let it sit in the colander.

3. Soften the base. In the same pot, melt the butter over a medium heat. Add the onion, the red pepper and the white parts of the spring onions with a pinch of salt. Cook gently for 6 to 7 minutes until soft and sweet, not brown. Add the garlic and thyme for the last minute. When you smell that garlic in the butter, you know you are on the right road.

4. Make the custard. In a big jug or bowl, whisk the evaporated milk with the eggs, the Caribbean Hot Sauce, the mustard, the smoked paprika, the nutmeg, the salt and plenty of black pepper. Whisk it until it is one smooth colour, a soft orange from the sauce. Taste a drop from the end of your finger. It should be well seasoned and have a little warmth. If you like it hotter, add another spoon of sauce now.

5. Bring it all together. Take the pot off the heat. Tip the macaroni back in with the softened onions and peppers. Add 350g of the cheese and the green parts of the spring onions and toss everything well. Now pour in the custard and stir. It will look far too wet. Trust me. That is exactly how it should look.

6. Fill the dish. Pour everything into the buttered dish and spread it level, pushing the macaroni right into the corners. Scatter the last 100g of cheese over the top, then a light pinch of smoked paprika.

7. Bake. Put it in the middle of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes. You are looking for a top that is deep golden and bubbling, edges that are brown and pulling away from the dish, and a centre that wobbles only a little when you shake it. If the top colours too fast, lay a sheet of foil over it loosely.

8. Rest it. This is the step everybody wants to skip, and it is the step that makes it a pie. Leave it on the side for at least 15 minutes. The custard keeps setting as it cools. Cut it straight from the oven and it runs everywhere. Wait, and it cuts into clean, proud squares.

9. Cut and serve. Cut into squares with a sharp knife and lift them out with a spatula. Give the corners to the people you love most. Put the jar of sauce on the table for anyone who wants more.

The role of Caribbean Hot Sauce in this dish

Cheese and milk are greedy. They swallow flavour. If you put nothing sharp into this dish, you get something comforting but sleepy, the kind of thing you eat two forkfuls of and forget.

My Caribbean Hot Sauce wakes it up. Stirred into the custard, the scotch bonnet heat spreads through every piece of macaroni, so you do not get one hot mouthful and ten plain ones. The heat is softened by all that dairy into a warmth that arrives at the back of your mouth just after the cheese, and makes you go back for more. The vinegar in the sauce cuts through the richness the way a squeeze of lime cuts through fried fish, and the fruitiness of the pepper sits beautifully against a sharp cheddar.

A little more on the plate, straight from the jar, and you have that red against gold that I grew up with on every party table.

Tips from my kitchen

• Grate your own cheese. The ready-grated bags are coated so the strands do not stick together, and that coating stops them melting smoothly into the custard. Five minutes with a box grater makes all the difference.
• Undercook the pasta, always. Soft macaroni going into the oven comes out as mush. Firm macaroni drinks the custard and finishes perfectly.
• Make it the day before. This is what my mother did for every party. Bake it, let it cool, cover it and keep it in the fridge. Next day, cut it into squares, lay them in a dish and reheat at 180°C for 20 to 25 minutes, covered with foil. It cuts even more cleanly cold.
• For a crowd, double it. Two dishes in the oven at once, swap their shelves halfway through. Nobody ever complained there was too much macaroni pie.
• Want more crunch? Mix 40g of breadcrumbs with a spoon of melted butter and scatter over the cheese before baking.

What to serve it with

At home this was never a meal on its own. It was one of many dishes on a table, and that is still how I like it best. Put it next to a Sunday roast chicken instead of potatoes, or next to a slow pot like my Caribbean Sauce Creole chicken, where the macaroni soaks up the gravy.

For a party or a Christmas buffet, serve it with sticky BBQ wings glazed in BBQ Sauce, a sharp coleslaw and a big green salad. On Bonfire Night, cut it into squares and hand it round warm in napkins. It holds together in your hand, and on a cold November evening there is nothing better.

If you are taking it to a friend’s house, take a little jar of sauce with it. The Spicy Discovery Trio makes a good gift for the host, and everyone can try a different heat on their square.

FAQ

What is the secret to a good baked mac and cheese?

Three things. Evaporated milk instead of ordinary milk, because it is richer and sets better. Eggs in the custard, so the dish holds together when you cut it. And patience at the end: let it rest for 15 minutes before you slice. Do those three and you will never make a runny one again.

What is the difference between Caribbean mac and cheese and the usual kind?

The usual mac and cheese is made with a white sauce and served soft and creamy, straight from the pan. Across the Caribbean we bake ours with evaporated milk and eggs until it sets firm, so you can cut it into squares like a pie. In Trinidad and Barbados they call it macaroni pie. In Guadeloupe we call it gratin de macaronis. And we always season it properly, with onion, thyme and hot pepper sauce.

Can I make mac and cheese ahead of time?

Yes, and I recommend it. Bake it a day ahead, cool it, cover and refrigerate. Reheat squares in a covered dish at 180°C for 20 to 25 minutes until hot right through. You can also assemble it unbaked up to a few hours ahead and keep it in the fridge, but add 10 minutes to the baking time.

Is this mac and cheese very spicy?

Not with 3 tablespoons of sauce in a dish this size. All that cheese and milk softens the heat into a gentle warmth that children usually eat happily. If you want real fire, add 2 more spoons to the custard, or simply put the jar on the table and let everyone choose for themselves.

Can I make it gluten free?

Not as written. The macaroni contains wheat, so I cannot call this dish gluten free, even though my Caribbean Hot Sauce is. If you are cooking for someone who avoids gluten, this one is not the dish for them, and I would rather tell you honestly than pretend.

Final word from me

There is a reason this dish turns up at every celebration across the Caribbean. It is cheap, it feeds a crowd, you can make it the night before, and everybody, from the grandmother to the smallest child, loves it. When I cut into a tray of it today, I am back at a long table in Guadeloupe with my brothers and sisters, fighting over the corners. Make a big one, invite people over, and put the jar of sauce on the table. That is how we do it.

JP