Makaroni Gurātan (マカロニグラタン, macaroni gratin)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Thick oval heatproof gratin dish (taine-tsu-zara), or a shallow ceramic baking dish
• •Wide saute pan or saucepan
• •Whisk
• •Large pot for macaroni

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the dish

   Heat the oven to 220°C, or 425°F. Butter a thick oval heatproof gratin dish, taine-tsu-zara, or use a small ceramic baking dish that holds the mixture in a shallow layer. A shallow dish gives more browned top and less risk of a gluey center.

2. 2

   Boil the macaroni

   Boil the macaroni in well-salted water for two minutes less than the package says, then drain it. It should still have a firm bite. The pasta will drink sauce in the oven, so fully cooked macaroni now becomes tired and soft later.

   Do not rinse it. The light starch left on the macaroni helps the sauce cling, and this dish wants cling, not slipperiness.
3. 3

   Season the chicken

   Season the chicken with a little of the salt and the white pepper. Let it sit while you slice the onion and mushrooms. Even ten minutes helps the salt enter the meat instead of sitting on the surface.

4. 4

   Cook the filling

   Melt 15g of the butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until the outside loses its raw color, then add the onion and mushrooms. Cook until the onion turns translucent and the mushrooms relax and give up their moisture. Add the sake and let it bubble briefly, because that small splash lifts the browned bits without making the sauce taste sharp.

5. 5

   Make the roux

   Push the filling to one side or remove it to a bowl. Add the remaining 30g butter, then stir in the flour. Cook for two minutes, stirring, until it smells nutty and pale, not raw. This step matters because uncooked flour gives the sauce a chalky taste no amount of cheese can politely hide.

6. 6

   Whisk the sauce

   Add the warm milk a little at a time, whisking smooth before each addition. Warm milk joins the roux more easily and keeps lumps from forming. Stir in the chicken stock or light dashi, then simmer gently until the sauce coats the spoon but still runs off in a ribbon. Season with the remaining salt, the usukuchi shōyu if using, and a small pinch of nutmeg if you like.

   Stop while the sauce is looser than finished bechamel. The macaroni and oven will thicken it. This is the first secret of a creamy gurātan.
7. 7

   Combine gently

   Return the filling to the pan if you removed it, then fold in the drained macaroni. Stir just until every piece is coated. If the mixture looks stiff, add a splash of milk. It should settle softly when spooned, because a tight pan now means a pasty dish later.

8. 8

   Top and bake

   Spoon the mixture into the buttered gratin dish, keeping it below the rim. Scatter the cheese, then the panko and Parmesan if using. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the top is freckled brown and the edges show glossy bubbles. The color tells you the top has dried and crisped while the inside stays creamy.

9. 9

   Rest briefly

   Let the gratin stand for five minutes before serving. The sauce settles in that short rest, so the first spoonful comes out creamy rather than flooding the plate. Serve it in the dish, with a spoon set at the rim and room left around it.

Chef Tips

• •Use chicken thigh, not breast, if you want the usual home-kitchen richness. Thigh stays tender through the bake, while breast can turn dry before the top browns.
• •Shimeji, maitake, or button mushrooms all work, but cook their moisture off before the sauce is built. Watery mushrooms thin the bechamel in the wrong way, giving you wetness instead of creaminess.
• •For a meatless table, leave out the chicken and use konbu and dried shiitake dashi in place of chicken stock. Add extra mushrooms and a few blanched broccoli florets. That is a proper Japanese vegetarian path, not a timid substitute.
• •If the sauce thickens while you are assembling, loosen it with milk before baking. The oven will not make a stiff sauce kinder.

Advance Preparation

• •The filling and sauce can be made up to one day ahead and refrigerated without the topping. Loosen with a little milk before baking, because cold macaroni drinks sauce as it rests.
• •The gratin can be assembled two hours ahead, covered, and refrigerated. Add the panko just before baking so it stays crisp on top.
• •Leftovers keep two days refrigerated. Reheat covered at 180°C, or 350°F, then uncover briefly to refresh the top.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 450g)