Part 3/8:
Eliza Acton's 1845 recipe for Maccaroni à la Reine sets the stage for this fancy iteration of the classic. The recipe calls for a delicate assembly of ingredients: macaroni, rich white cheese, cream, a selection of spices like cayenne and mace, and topped with fried breadcrumbs — all blended to create a creamy sauce to envelop the pasta.
The cooking method is relatively straightforward, with the essence lying in the quality of the ingredients. The macaroni, preferably of superior quality and yellowish hue, is boiled until tender. The cheese, finely sliced, is then melted into cream along with butter and spices to create a luxurious sauce, which is drizzled over the pasta before serving.