Many say the ultimate comfort food is macaroni and cheese. This month’s issue of Food Network Magazine gives it high marks and with the issue devoted to cheese, the magazine offers a variety of recipes, one better than the next. The instruction is to start with a classic mac & cheese recipe and then by adding different ingredients the results make for some really delicious combinations.
Using the recipe for a classic mac and cheese, given here, try a lobster mac and cheese. Using all cheddar, add twelve ounces of chopped cooked lobster. Top with the cheese mixed with one half cup of panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), one-fourth cup chopped chives and on tablespoon melted butter. Broil until top is golden; but do not bake.
They call it truffle mac and cheese because truffle cheese replaces the cheddar in the classic recipe. Sauté one pound of mushrooms in olive oil until browned. Drain the liquid from the mushrooms and add to pasta and top with one-fourth cup of Gruyere cheese instead of the cheddar.
Recipe-Classic Baked Mac & Cheese
- 8 oz. fusilli or short pasta of your choice
- 4 T unsalted butter plus more for the baking dish
- ¼ C flour
- 2 C milk heated
- 1 bay leaf
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 2 ½ c shredded white cheddar cheese
- 1 ½ shredded Gruyere cheese
- Kosher salt
- Cook pasta al dente in salted water. Reserve 1 C cooking water and then drain the pasta.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan
- Whisk in the flour, the bay leaf, nutmeg and 1 teaspoon salt and simmer, whisking occasionally until thick.
- Remove the bay leaf and stir in 2 cups cheddar and Gruyere.
- Stir in the pasta and the reserved cooking water to make a loose sauce.
- Butter a 2-quart baking dish and add the pasta mixture and top with the remaining ½ C cheddar.
- Bake 15 minutes.
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