February 19              #635                Mac and Cheese, Gourmet Style

            Is there a more beloved comfort food than mac and cheese?  Probably not.  Available at the grocery store in a cheap box, it is a breeze to cook up; so simple in fact that many people don't bother to make their own.  But if you do make the effort, the result is usually very rewarding.  What makes a "from scratch" version so good is the creativity you can use in selecting the ingredients.
            Chef Jerry Pellegrino has concocted this easy, but oh, so satisfying version of gourmet macaroni and cheese.

           Basic Mac & Cheese Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup Béchamel Sauce (see recipe below)
1 cup ½ & ½
2 cups grated cheese
4 cups cooked pasta
Salt and pepper

In a large saucepan set over medium heat, gently warm the béchamel sauce. Add the ½ & ½ and continue to heat until just boiling.
Gradually add the grated cheese, stirring constantly until each addition melts completely.
Add the pasta and cook just until hot.  Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately.

Variations:

Every step of the way you have room to be creative. The first choice to make is what cheese to use. Although they can work, it’s best to avoid dry cheeses that have been aged for long periods of time. They don’t melt as easily as their younger counter parts and can give your creation a grainy texture.
Choosing which pasta to use is always fun. A good rule of thumb is to try and use pasta that has lots of texture. Smooth pastas, such as penne, can’t hold as much of the cheese sauce as the spiral fusilli or the cork screw shaped gobbetti. And make sure you don’t over cook the pasta. Keeping it ‘al dente’ will prevent it from breaking apart when you stir it into the cheese sauce.
You can add whatever other ingredients to your mac and cheese that you like, but they should be cooked first and added with the pasta unless they are meant to be eaten raw, such as tomatoes. Some suggestions might be sautéed mushrooms, crumbled bacon, shrimp or lobster pieces, black truffles, etc.

Basic Béchamel Sauce

Ingredients

5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg, and set aside until ready to use

BACK TO RECIPE ARCHIVES