Chef Juliette
Gnochi au Gratin
Walnut-size Parisian pâte à choux dumplings rise in the poaching pot, then settle beneath glossy Mornay and Parmesan until their edges are bronzed and their centers answer the finger with a spring.
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Macaroni au Jus
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2287, Macaroni au Jus, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Macaroni au jus drinks in the concentrated flavor of a beef braise, turning a modest pantry staple glossy and savory. The secret is stopping while the pasta still has a firm heart.
Side Dishes
French
Weeknight
Budget Friendly
Make Ahead
15 min
Active Time
20 min cook•35 min total
Yield4 servings
Macaroni au jus teaches absorption: pasta can become part of a sauce by drinking it in, not merely carrying it on the surface. The one true thing to know before you touch the pan is that the macaroni must leave the jus firmer than you want to eat it, because the liquor keeps cooking it after it is dished. Aim for a tender outside, a definite core, and a chestnut gloss in every hollow.
The source entry assumes the saucier's domain: a stockpot never off the fire, beef braising liquor ready beside it, and long macaroni handled in brigade quantities. A home kitchen needs no separate sauce station and no salamander, because this dish is absorbed and spooned, never gratinéed. Save and freeze the strained liquor from a beef braise, scale the pasta to four side portions, and use kitchen shears for the short lengths. One cook, one stove, one evening.
That continual sauce station is brigade scaffolding and can go. The firm parboil, the cutting, the second simmer in real braising liquor, and the final spoonful are the dish, so they stay. Watch the last minute closely; that is where firmness, gloss, and generosity meet.
Macaroni au jus belongs less to one French province than to the classical Parisian table, where macaroni passed from Italian practice into the repertoire as an entremets and an accompaniment to roasted or braised meat. Cuisine bourgeoise households made the method their own because the liquor left from a beef braise supplied both sauce and seasoning. The title is precise: au jus here means braising liquor absorbed into the macaroni itself, not a meat sauce poured over fully cooked pasta.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
dry long hollow macaroni
Quantity
8 ounces (225 g)
left whole
water
Quantity
3 quarts (2.8 liters / about 2.8 kg)
fine sea salt
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 18 g)
finished beef braising liquor
Quantity
2 cups (480 ml / about 500 g)
well strained, defatted, and divided
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| dry long hollow macaronileft whole | 8 ounces (225 g) |
| water | 3 quarts (2.8 liters / about 2.8 kg) |
| fine sea salt | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 18 g) |
| finished beef braising liquorwell strained, defatted, and divided | 2 cups (480 ml / about 500 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •5-quart (4.7-liter) pot
- •12-inch (30-cm) wide sauté pan
- •Colander
- •Kitchen shears
- •1 1/2-quart (1.4-liter) timbale or deep serving bowl
Instructions
- 1
Ready the braising liquor
Warm the beef braising liquor gently until any natural gelatin melts, then taste it. It should be concentrated and savory but not aggressively salty, because the second simmer will strengthen it further. If it is too salty, dilute it with a little of the measured water and remeasure 2 cups. Reserve 3 tablespoons (45 ml) for spooning over the finished dish and another 2 tablespoons (30 ml) for adjustment; keep both portions warm. Pour the remaining liquor, about 1 2/3 cups (400 ml), into a wide sauté pan.
Use the clear, gelatin-rich liquor from a beef braise, not flour-thickened gravy. The fond, meat juices, and reduction are the foundation of the dish. - 2
Parboil the macaroni
Bring the water to a full boil and add the salt. Lower in the macaroni without breaking it and cook until the tubes bend without snapping but retain a broad, chalky core, about 4 to 5 minutes for most brands. This is a true parboil, not ordinary al dente pasta; the macaroni must have enough uncooked heart to absorb the jus without becoming soft.
- 3
Drain and cut
Drain the macaroni immediately and do not rinse it. While it is still pliable, snip it with kitchen shears into short lengths of about 2 inches (5 cm). Work promptly so the pieces remain separate; rinsing would cool the macaroni and wash away the surface starch that helps the liquor cling.
- 4
Let it drink
Bring the liquor in the wide pan to a bare simmer, add the cut macaroni, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, turning it gently and often. The liquor should reduce as the macaroni absorbs it, leaving only a glossy coating and a few spoonfuls around the pieces. Stop while the center is still distinctly firm. If the pan dries before that core is ready, add the adjustment liquor one tablespoon at a time; ça se rattrape. If the macaroni is nearly ready while too much liquor remains, lift it into the warmed serving dish, reduce the liquor quickly, then return the macaroni only long enough to coat it.
The macaroni continues cooking from its own heat and from the final spoonful of liquor. Taking it out slightly firm is not caution; it is the technique. - 5
Dish and gloss
Mound the macaroni in a warmed timbale or deep serving bowl. Spoon the reserved 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of warm braising liquor evenly over the top, letting it run into the hollows and collect lightly at the base. Serve at once, before the macaroni drinks that final liquor and softens further. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Save the liquor whenever you braise beef. Strain it while warm, chill it, lift away the hardened fat, and freeze it in measured portions. Plain packaged stock lacks the concentrated fond and gelatin this spare little dish depends upon.
- •Long straight macaroni, sometimes sold as maccheroni lunghi, best preserves the source method. Bucatini can stand in, though its narrower tubes cook more quickly, so judge the chalky core rather than the clock.
- •Use a wide pan for the second cooking. It gives the liquor room to reduce at the same pace the macaroni absorbs it; a narrow saucepan leaves too much liquid around pasta that is already done.
- •Serve this beside the beef braise that supplied the liquor, with a sharp green salad to follow. Pour the same dry red used in the pot, if there was one. Cooking well is not cooking fancy.
Advance Preparation
- •The beef braising liquor can be strained and refrigerated up to 4 days ahead or frozen for up to 3 months. Defat it while cold, then warm and measure it before beginning.
- •Prepare the liquor and warm the serving dish ahead, but parboil and finish the macaroni shortly before serving. Cut parboiled pasta becomes sticky as it waits, and completed macaroni au jus continues absorbing its sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 160g)
Calories
230 calories
Total Fat
2 g
Saturated Fat
1 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
1 g
Cholesterol
10 mg
Sodium
650 mg
Total Carbohydrates
44 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
10 g
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