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Printable recipe below! We're uncovering the original macaroni and cheese recipe from nearly 250 years ago and it still tastes amazing today. But you probably haven't heard the real story on Thomas Jefferson's favorite meal and how it really wasn't him who created it.
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Printable Recipes:
https://kentrollins.com/blogs/cast-iron/baked-parmesan-romano-mac-and-cheese
https://kentrollins.com/blogs/cast-iron/americas-first-mac-and-cheese
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0:00
Now, America's favorite comfort food
0:02
actually come from a French-trained chef
0:05
who was enslaved, who cooked for
0:07
presidents, but his name was erased from
0:11
history. Now, most folks, they think
0:13
Thomas Jefferson invented mac and
0:15
cheese, but that's not true. And before
0:18
this video's over, I'm going to show you
0:20
that every bite of macaroni and cheese
0:22
that has been taken
0:24
>> [music]
0:24
>> comes from one man, and that is James
0:27
Hemings. This is the second video in my
0:30
America's [music] 250-year series, and
0:32
we're going to spend the next few weeks
0:34
telling stories of the food and the
0:36
people [music] that built this country,
0:37
and sharing stories you've never heard
0:39
before in honor of the upcoming 250th
0:41
[music]
0:42
birthday of our great nation. And today
0:45
on the menu is America's stolen recipe,
0:47
[music]
0:48
macaroni and cheese.
0:54
Hey, thank y'all for dropping by camp,
0:56
and today we are making two versions of
0:59
mac and cheese. But first, we're going
1:01
all the way back to the White House,
1:04
1802, and a French chef, James Hemings,
1:07
recreated this recipe from what he had
1:10
learned in France to prepare it for a
1:12
dinner there at the White House, and
1:13
made it oh so special. So, we're going
1:15
to do his version, but also we're going
1:17
to do a version similar to that, but
1:19
cowboy it up just a little bit. And this
1:21
would be a great dish to bring to your
1:23
next family outing or your backyard
1:25
barbecue. Now, let's talk about old
1:27
Thomas Jefferson, the president. You
1:29
know, he gets all the credit for this
1:30
mac and cheese recipe, but really it
1:33
wasn't his. It was from his enslaved
1:36
chef, James Hemings. Now, he was a
1:39
French-trained chef who come over and
1:41
made this dish, but you never hear about
1:43
none of that. And today, I'm even going
1:46
to make pasta. I mean, I'm going to get
1:48
Italian people will be coming from all
1:50
over to eat pasta. But, you think of
1:53
macaroni and cheese today, and it is a
1:56
little elbow deal, Got a hole through
1:57
it. Traditionally back then, no. It was
2:00
made where it was just flat noodles. So,
2:03
that's what we're making today. So,
2:05
we're going to start with three eggs.
2:09
Fresh from the henhouse.
2:12
In it goes. So, we've got our three eggs
2:14
in there. Let's give them a little
2:16
whooping.
2:20
And one thing I found interesting when I
2:22
was going back through James Hemings'
2:24
recipe was his one of his measurements
2:26
for milk. Wine glass full of milk. Now,
2:30
how big was wine glasses back then? I
2:32
have no idea. I'm going to start with
2:33
about that much and we're going to see
2:35
what happens.
2:38
Give that a little stir.
2:42
We're going to add a little salt.
2:46
And then it's time for some flour.
2:49
Now, in his original recipe, I don't
2:51
know how much pasta he was making, but
2:53
he was saying 2 lb of flour. Now, he
2:55
said some for sprinkling and some for
2:56
going in here. So, y'all just going to
2:58
have to stick around with me cuz we
2:59
going to have to figure it out. James
3:00
ain't here to ask.
3:22
So, we're going to go by James' recipe
3:25
and we're going to soak these in a
3:26
little cold water first before we start
3:28
putting together the cheese sauce
3:30
[music] and boiling the pasta. So, bear
3:32
with me, folks. And when I thought you
3:34
could be all right just to cut [music]
3:35
these together, it would have probably
3:37
been better to separate them in the long
3:38
run.
3:44
James Hemings was born in Virginia
3:46
[music] in 1765
3:48
and into slavery. He arrived in
3:50
Monticello as a 9-year-old boy along
3:53
[music] with his mother and siblings.
3:55
When the British invaded Richmond in
3:56
1781, it was [music] James and his
3:59
brother who took Jefferson's wife and
4:01
children to safety. He wasn't just a
4:03
cook. He was trusted with the people
4:06
Jefferson loved [music] the most.
4:08
Jefferson sailed to France in 1784
4:11
to become America's trade minister. He
4:13
brought Hemings with him for one express
4:15
purpose, to become a French trained
4:18
chef. And Paris was a culinary capital
4:20
of the world. Hemings trained in the
4:22
finest kitchens in France alongside
4:24
[music] the greatest chefs in the world.
4:26
He was the first American ever to study
4:29
French cuisine in France. Pretty
4:31
impressive for an enslaved 19-year-old.
4:34
2 years into his time in Paris,
4:36
Jefferson knew that under French law,
4:38
Hemings was legally free if he simply
4:40
claimed it. Hemings spent 5 years in
4:42
Paris. Years he could have walked away,
4:44
but he came home. Whether out of loyalty
4:47
or family [music] or because freedom in
4:49
France meant leaving everything he knew,
4:52
we'll never know. He was paid a wage, a
4:54
rarity among enslaved people, but far
4:57
less than the white chefs in equivalent
4:59
roles. [music]
4:59
He cooked for presidents, diplomats, and
5:02
the most powerful people in America, and
5:04
history gave Jefferson the credit for
5:06
every dish on that table.
5:13
>> [music]
5:13
>> I really don't know what I'm doing
5:14
digging around in this slimy pasta for
5:16
sure, but I'm trying to follow James's
5:19
recipe. It's a little It could have been
5:21
a little more clear, James, if you could
5:22
have said, "Hey, don't soak them this
5:24
long, soak them this long. Don't soak
5:26
them at all." Hey, James, the pan's
5:27
going to boil over.
5:38
Now, the cheese sauce that James made,
5:40
very basic it is. Now, [music] he wanted
5:43
to have Parmesan and cheddar, but
5:46
Jefferson, he always insisted Romano and
5:48
Parmesan only. Hard cheeses kept longer
5:51
back then, but sometimes James had a
5:52
hard time keeping [music] all this stuff
5:54
in the kitchen. So, today we're just
5:56
going to make us a little flour roux, a
5:57
little milk, melt some cheese, fold it
6:00
into that spaghetti
6:02
Not the spaghetti. Then we're going to
6:03
fold it into that pasta. We going to
6:05
bake it.
6:36
>> [music]
6:40
>> Now, Peter Hemings, who was James's
6:42
brother, and he was trained by James,
6:44
actually made this dish for a White
6:47
House dinner in 1802. And when he put it
6:50
on the table, he said pie called
6:52
macaroni. Soon this would be a dish that
6:55
would only be served to the rich and the
6:57
[music] elite. Now, this is 1802, but
7:00
we're fixing to do 2026.
7:12
>> [music]
7:13
>> Well, I'm boiling me up some of that
7:15
elbow macaroni. I went the cheap route.
7:16
I hope Thomas don't mind cuz this is
7:19
more like the version that he would be
7:21
liking.
7:22
Melt one stick of butter. We're going to
7:24
add some flour cuz we too have to make a
7:27
roux. We have to make a cheese sauce.
7:31
You want to let that get really bubbled
7:33
up and sort of frothy there. And you
7:35
want it to brown just a little, but
7:36
don't walk away from it and think you
7:38
can't stir it because you burn that
7:39
flour and that stuff, you don't want the
7:41
whole pot. you got to throw it out. So,
7:43
now it's time to add some cow milk.
7:50
And just sit here and stir. You want it
7:52
to thicken.
7:55
We been on about 5 or 6 minutes over
7:57
about medium low heat. Everything gets
8:00
bubbled up, everything gets good and
8:02
thick. This is the perfect opportunity
8:05
to add a little flavor before we put in
8:07
the cheese.
8:08
And that is coarse ground black pepper.
8:15
A little salt.
8:17
Not much because when you're adding
8:19
cheese, cheese can sometimes be salty
8:21
already. Remember that. Now,
8:24
Thomas Jefferson, he did love him some
8:26
nutmeg and he would have dear James
8:29
grind the fresh nutmeg to put in there.
8:32
So, we going to add a little. Now,
8:33
folks, if you've never done this with
8:35
nutmeg, you're going to be surprised
8:37
because when we did the Civil War
8:38
macaroni and cheese, this brought about
8:40
a lot of flavor.
8:42
It don't take much. A sprinkling is a
8:44
plenty. Give it another stir.
8:47
And you can see how nice that has
8:49
thickened up here. Ooh la la. And if it
8:52
ever gets too thick, thin it with some
8:54
milk. You're all right.
8:58
Cheesy time it is.
9:00
I have shredded Parmesan and shredded
9:02
Romano. This was Jefferson's two
9:05
favorite cheeses and they were hard
9:07
cheese, cheese that would keep. So, very
9:10
easy to use in this.
9:15
Now, you want to reserve some of this
9:17
cheese cuz we got to sprinkle on top.
9:19
So, we're going to add about that much
9:20
more. Save the rest.
9:23
Stir this in till we get our cheese
9:25
sauce to the desired consistency we need
9:27
it. And then we're going to fold it all
9:29
together with them little elbow
9:30
macaroni. Then we're going to bake them
9:32
both.
9:33
We're going to see which one I like
9:34
best.
9:54
>> Here's the part [music] of James Hemings
9:55
story that most people never hear. He
9:58
negotiated his own freedom. He told
10:00
Jefferson, [music] "Train someone else
10:02
to cook the way I cook and then let me
10:04
go." Jefferson agreed. Hemings spent
10:07
years training his younger brother Peter
10:09
as a replacement, and he documented
10:11
[music] every recipe he knew and walked
10:14
out a free man in 1796.
10:17
He was one of the first enslaved people
10:19
in America to earn his freedom through a
10:21
negotiated contract. He was 31 years
10:24
old. Tragically, however, Hemings died
10:26
at just 36. His only written legacy was
10:29
an inventory of kitchen utensils and
10:31
four recipes. History barely remembers
10:34
his name until now.
10:46
>> So, I had to jump in because I am a
10:47
self-appointed [music] macaroni and
10:49
cheese connoisseur.
10:50
>> The expert.
10:50
>> Yes, so I'm excited about this. So, what
10:52
you did also is you added some melted
10:55
some cheddar cheese onto the James
10:58
Hemings Jefferson version.
11:00
>> Yes.
11:00
>> And then you added a little more cheese
11:02
on top of this and some breadcrumbs to
11:04
your version.
11:05
>> Yes.
11:05
>> Okay, great. And
11:07
also, folks, if you watched our last
11:09
video, we are in a burn ban, so that's
11:11
why we had to cook these inside. We do
11:13
not want to
11:14
cause any issues. So, anyway.
11:16
>> You're the first, you're the I'm going
11:18
to let you taste them both right off the
11:19
bat.
11:19
>> Let me start with Hemings.
11:21
>> Okay.
11:28
>> Here's the thing, too.
11:30
I don't discriminate with macaroni and
11:32
cheese. Like, I like the box just as
11:34
well as like a really fancy one.
11:37
>> That is really good.
11:38
>> Yeah.
11:39
>> Um I like the noodle cuz it's kind of um
11:42
>> Like a dumpling nearly in a way.
11:43
>> Yeah. Why don't you try it? And it's got
11:45
a creaminess
11:47
with that roux that you made.
11:49
>> Mhm.
11:50
>> Are you sur- I'm sur- I'm not I don't
11:52
know if I'm surprised, but
11:53
the way those noodles were looking at
11:55
the beginning, I was thinking
11:56
>> I
11:58
Don't let these clothes fool you. I can
11:59
make a noodle.
12:00
>> Okay, let's try your version.
12:08
>> And this was all with white cheese.
12:10
>> Mhm.
12:10
>> Parmesan and Romano.
12:19
I am a fan of the sprinkle of nutmeg. I
12:21
think it just makes it different.
12:23
>> I was like, what is that? I forgot you
12:25
added that in.
12:26
>> And the bread crumbs give it a little
12:27
texture.
12:28
>> Little texture.
12:29
Um
12:30
bol- like I love a hard cheese.
12:32
>> Yeah.
12:33
>> Do you have a favorite?
12:34
>> If I'm going to vote, yeah. I'm going to
12:35
vote for this one.
12:36
>> Me, too.
12:37
>> Because I just think the homemade pasta
12:40
really adds the finishing touch to it
12:42
cuz it's just and you get a I mean, this
12:45
one's good. Don't get me wrong.
12:46
>> good.
12:47
>> But this one has such a creamy texture
12:49
to it.
12:49
>> It's it's creamier, yeah.
12:51
>> So, we take one more bite cuz we got to
12:53
have a little dancing.
12:54
>> Oh, okay.
12:56
>> Mhm.
12:59
Mhm.
13:00
I think if we'd have been at the White
13:01
House, it would have been more like
13:02
this.
13:03
>> Oh, you got cheese like all over your
13:04
mouth.
13:11
>> Now, James Hemings never did get the
13:13
credit he deserved for this recipe. But
13:16
folks, you can give him that credit
13:18
every time you have a plate or a bowl of
13:20
macaroni and cheese sitting in front of
13:22
you. You can say,
13:24
"Thank you, James. I appreciate it."
13:26
Now, this is the second video that we've
13:27
done on celebrating America's 250th
13:31
birthday. Now if you didn't catch the
13:33
first one, back up and go back there and
13:35
watch the Johnny Cakes because folks,
13:38
we're going through history a dish at a
13:40
time to celebrate the greatest nation in
13:42
the world. But it is with great pride,
13:44
honor, and privilege that I tip my hat
13:46
to all the servicemen and women and all
13:48
the veterans that have kept that old
13:49
flag a flying. We commend you all we do
13:51
and we lift you up in prayer daily. Rest
13:54
of you, get on up here. I'm going to do
13:55
something I ain't never done before. I'm
13:57
leaving this hat right here.
13:59
I'm going to put two hot miracles there
14:00
hot cuz I'm going to give you a macaroni
14:02
and cheese hug that's going to be oh so
14:04
[music] good. I'm going to slap you on
14:05
the head with them.
14:07
God bless you each and every one and
14:09
we'll see you down the macaroni and
14:11
cheese trail.
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