Art imitates life? Life imitates art? I can never remember how that goes. And I'm further confused, now that Sonic, the Oklahoma-born drive-in has begun serving deep-fried "mac and cheese bites."
Until I saw the sign at my local Sonic, the one that advertised a twofer chili-cheese hot dog special on one side and mac and cheese bites on the other, I thought that John Fleer, the onetime chef at Blackberry Farm, was the promulgator king of fried macaroni and cheese. (I first tasted the dish at Blackberry, three years ago; Fleer served his version on bone china, nestled in a linen napkin pouch.)
Fleer's riff was ironic. And iconic. And I assumed it was singular. But then along comes Sonic. And now, just this morning, I discovered this discussion thread on chowhound.com. It seems that T.G.I. Friday's has served something similar. And, Lord help, Paula Deen has a recipe. All of which begs these questions: Did Fleer, upon departure from Blackberry Farm, take a recipe development job with Sonic? While working for Sonic, did he slip secrets to T.G.I. Fridays and moonlight for Paula Deen? Who, in other words, imitated whom?
John Fleer's Fried Pimento Mac and Cheese Ingots
1/2 pound macaroni
1 cup béchamel sauce
1/2 pound pimento cheese
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste
3 eggs whipped with a touch of water
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
Toss cooked macaroni in warm béchamel, pimento cheese and smoked paprika. Season with salt and pepper. Add in heavy cream to thin out the sauce a little. Spread macaroni on a shallow-edged pan lined with parchment paper. Place in refrigerator until completely cooled and firmly set, about 3 hours.
Invert set macaroni and cheese onto a cutting board and remove parchment. Gently slice into desired size pieces (not larger than 1-inch by 1-inch). Place several pieces in seasoned flour, coat, and remove, tossing carefully to shake off excess flour. Next, place pieces in egg wash, then in panko bread crumbs. Coat thoroughly with bread crumbs and remove to baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat process until all pieces are breaded. Place in refrigerator until ready to fry.
Heat fat in deep fryer to 350 degrees. Fry pieces of macaroni for 2 minutes or until a golden brown.
Béchamel Sauce
3 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup whole milk
For thick béchamel, melt butter in a saucepan, combine with the flour and cook over low heat a few minutes to cook out the starchy taste of the flour. Stir in the liquid and continue stirring until the mixture thickens. Let simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Pass through a fine sieve.
Pimento Cheese
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons pickle juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Crystal hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 pound grated Sweetwater Valley Tennessee Cheddar
1 red bell pepper, roasted, chopped
Combine the garlic, mayonnaise, pickle juice, mustard, hot sauce, salt and pepper in a large bowl and make a paste. Fold in the cheese and red pepper until everything is evenly incorporated.