Gone Hiking
Über Member
Mod.edit: Moved this recipe from another thread so that its searchable with tags, prefix etc. (MG)
Basic mac 'n cheese sucks, IMO, unless it's doctored up with richness. Then it can be delectable, in fact, too rich to even eat much, which is the point where I can call it good.
User beware, but here's the amalgamated recipe (with options) I've arrived at from some of the pros.
Ingredients:
Macaroni:
½ lb. large Elbow Macaroni Noodles
2 quarts water
½ tbsp salt
Cheese sauce:
1 to 3 tbsp butter, divided
3 tbsp flour
2 cups whole milk, warmed
½ cup heavy cream, warmed
1 cup smoked gouda cheese, freshly shredded
1 cup gruyere cheese, freshly shredded
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup mozzarella cheese, freshly shredded
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper
1/8 tsp Sherry vinegar (if available)
Seasoning Options:
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, and/or
1 tsp paprika, or
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
Optional Ingredients:
½ lb chopped bacon, crisped in a Dutch oven, or
½ lb fresh crab meat (claw meat is fine)
Optional Toppings:
Paprika
Old Bay Seasoning
Panko bread crumbs
Homemade croutons: 2 cups torn or cubed bread cooked in butter and garlic
Crispy chicken skin
Chopped chives for color
The Smoke or Oven Bake:
Basic mac 'n cheese sucks, IMO, unless it's doctored up with richness. Then it can be delectable, in fact, too rich to even eat much, which is the point where I can call it good.
User beware, but here's the amalgamated recipe (with options) I've arrived at from some of the pros. Ingredients:
Macaroni:
½ lb. large Elbow Macaroni Noodles
2 quarts water
½ tbsp salt
Cheese sauce:
1 to 3 tbsp butter, divided
3 tbsp flour
2 cups whole milk, warmed
½ cup heavy cream, warmed
1 cup smoked gouda cheese, freshly shredded
1 cup gruyere cheese, freshly shredded
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup mozzarella cheese, freshly shredded
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper
1/8 tsp Sherry vinegar (if available)
Seasoning Options:
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, and/or
1 tsp paprika, or
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
Optional Ingredients:
½ lb chopped bacon, crisped in a Dutch oven, or
½ lb fresh crab meat (claw meat is fine)
Optional Toppings:
Paprika
Old Bay Seasoning
Panko bread crumbs
Homemade croutons: 2 cups torn or cubed bread cooked in butter and garlic
Crispy chicken skin
Chopped chives for color
The Smoke or Oven Bake:
- (Optional): Chop and cook bacon in a 9” cast iron pan or Dutch oven. Use a slotted spoon to lift bacon out of pan and onto paper towels to drain. Pour off most of the fat in the pan, leaving only a thin coating in the bottom.
- Boil macaroni noodles in salted water for ~7-8 minutes until al dente, then pour into a strainer.
- Melt 1 tbsp butter in a cast iron pan or Dutch oven, then add flour and whisk vigorously to make a roux. Cook for 3 minutes until slightly brown.
- Add warmed milk and heavy whipping cream and bring to a boil. (This creates a bechamel sauce.) Then dial back heat and add salt, pepper, and other optional seasonings.
- Mix in cheeses (and optional bacon or crab). Technically, this is now done and can be eaten, or;
- Move into a cast iron pan or butter-coated glass baking pan or square disposable aluminum pan to add smoke, or oven bake to add smoke and/or crisp the top.
- Add option toppings; paprika, Old Bay Seasoning, or Panko bread crumbs and 2 tbsp melted butter.
- Smoke or bake between 225* to 350* for between 0.5 to 1.0 hour, depending on desired smoke flavor or crispiness on top, or
- (Optional): Then add the homemade croutons and/or crispy chicken skins on top, and then sprinkle chopped chives to serve.
- There are options with this; basic, crab mac & cheese (very rich!), and bacon mac & cheese. (Crab mac is the bomb!)
- Sub some yellow (orange) American cheese to provide some orange color, if desired
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