Thomas Jefferson was man of many talents – author of Declaration of Independence, President of the United States, designed his plantation home Monticello, spoke multiple languages, fluent in French and Italian, loved music, books and food.
Jefferson spent five years in France, where he enjoyed European cuisine, traveled through Italy, and collected recipes.
At Monticello, the kitchen had a “stew stove” with multiple burners, oven for baking bread, was stocked with copper French cooking pots, a pasta machine and ice cream maker!
Jefferson imported wine and cooking ingredients from Europe – coffee, olive oil, cheese, spices, almonds, sugar, Italian rice, chocolate.
There was an ice house, so in summer ice cream was on the dinner menu.
Jefferson laid out a large vegetable garden and acres of orchards, kept records of what he planted – varieties of tomatoes, beans, beets, lettuces, peas (his favorite vegetable). The orchards produced apples, peaches, cherries and plums.
From his travels in Italy, Jefferson wrote down a recipe for macaroni and cheese.
Thomas Jefferson Macaroni and Cheese
2 cups dried elbow pasta
1 tbsp salt
2 cups half-and-half
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese.
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, for topping
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Bring large pot of water to boil. Add 1 tbsp salt, then pour macaroni into the boiling water. Cook following the directions, until pasta is al dente. Drain in a colander, then put pasta in a large bowl.
Warm half-and-half in the microwave. In a saucepan, melt butter, whisk in flour, and whisk for about a minute. Add half-and-half, and stir until sauce thickens. Add Tabasco, salt and pepper. Remove saucepan from the heat.
Stir in Swiss cheese until it melts into the sauce. Stir in 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese. Sauce should be smooth and thick.
Add sauce to the pasta, mix well, pour into buttered 9 x 10 inch pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, then serve.
And read our blog post: A Visit to Monticello
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