Gourmet Mac N Cheese Recipes

GOURMET MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Boil pasta in boiling salted water until very al dente?about 3 minutes less than the box instructions (it will finish in the oven).
• Render pancetta in a large oven-safe pan or French braiser over medium heat until still chewy and not quite crispy, about 20 minutes (it will finish crisping in the oven). Remove pancetta and drain all but 1 tablespoon rendered fat. Add butter, melt and then add flour to make roux. Whisk until smooth, then cook until blonde in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic, Dijon and hot sauce. Whisking vigorously, slowly add milk. Bring to simmer, whisking constantly, then cook, whisking occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• Add fontina, Gruyere, Havarti and blue cheese and season with salt and pepper. Mix in pasta until fully coated. Cover entire top with pancetta and bake until bubbly and gooey, 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately.
• Unbaked Gourmet Mac & Cheese can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before baking, and add on another 10 minutes in the oven.

CHEESE LOVERS 5 CHEESE MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain.
• In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, saute the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Saute the onion in the bacon drippings until soft. Add the 5 tablespoons butter to the onion mixture and melt the butter stirring with a wooden spoon.
• Using a whisk, add the flour, and stir constantly until well mixed with the fat making a roux. Whisk in the mustard. Gradually add the milk and cream whisking constantly.
• Add the thyme, bay leaf, and salt. Let come to a simmer and stir frequently for 15 minutes.
• Strain the hot milk mixture into a metal bowl and discard the solids. Working quickly, mix in 1 cup fontina, blue cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere, 1/2 cup white Cheddar, 1/2 cup Parmesan, the reserved bacon, and parsley. Continue to stir until all cheese is melted.
• Add the cooked noodles to the cheese mixture to coat. Add the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Mix the remaining cheese and bread crumbs together and sprinkle on top of the noodles. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown. Remove from oven when done and rest for 5 minutes.

OUR FAVORITE MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in the middle of oven. Butter the baking dish.
• Make the topping:
• In a large skillet over medium heat, heat butter and oil until butter foam subsides. Add panko and garlic; cook, stirring, until crumbs are golden brown, 4-6 minutes. Transfer crumbs to a medium bowl, stir in Parmesan and salt, and set aside.
• Prepare the macaroni and sauce:
• Set a large, covered pot of salted water over high heat to boil. Add macaroni and cook until just al dente (avoid overcooking). Drain macaroni and set aside.
• In a large wide pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle flour over butter, whisking to incorporate and make a roux. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until roux is light golden, about 4 minutes. Gradually pour in milk and cream, whisking constantly to incorporate and make a béchamel sauce. Raise heat to medium-high and bring sauce to a low boil, whisking constantly. Reduce to a simmer, whisking occasionally, and cook until béchamel sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes more.
• Add 2 tsp. salt, pepper, and mustard powder. Add the cheeses in three batches, whisking until each addition is completely melted before adding more. Remove from heat.
• Add the drained macaroni to the pot with the cheese sauce and stir well to coat. Transfer macaroni mixture to the buttered baking dish and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle topping evenly over macaroni and bake until golden and bubbling, 18-22 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

GOURMET MAC 'N CHEESE

Steps:

• 1. Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil and add the elbow macaroni. Cook until it's al dente, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. 2. While the macaroni is boiling, slowly melt 5 1/2 Tbs of butter over medium high heat in a medium sauce pan. 3. Add the flour, stirring, cook together for a minute or so. Do not brown the mixture; you want a blonde roux. Add the milk, whisking to avoid lumps. Bring mixture to a boil and continue whisking. Lower heat and simmer for about five minutes until it thickens. 4. While the milk is simmering, combine 2 Tbs butter and the bread crumbs, and melt together in a separate pan. 5. Add the Parmesan cheese. This adds another layer of flavor so it's not one-dimensional. Just cook until the butter is melted. Remove from heat. 6. When the milk is ready, add the mascarpone cheese. Then add gruyere cheese and whisk it in, and as soon as until it's melted, remove from the heat. This will happen quickly because the gruyere cheese should be grated and at room temperature. 7. Season with salt and black pepper and whisk to combine. Add the macaroni to the cheese sauce, mix it well, and when it's nicely incorporated, spoon it out into a cooking dish. 8. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on the top, using your hands to pat it down to make sure it's nice and evenly dispersed all over the surface. The topping becomes very crunchy when it bakes. Cook for about 35-40 minutes in a 350 degree oven until golden brown and bubbly.

GOURMET MACARONI & CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook and drain macaroni and place in a 2 1/2 quart (2.5 L) greased casserole.
• Melt butter over medium heat; stir in flour; mix well.
• Add milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until sauce thickens.
• Add salt, sugar and cheese. Mix well.
• Mix sour cream and cottage cheese into sauce.
• Pour sauce over macaroni. Mix well.
• Sprinkle cheddar cheese and crumbs over top. Dot with butter and sprinkle with paprika. May be frozen at this point.
• Bake at 350F (180C) for 45-50 minutes.

WOLFGANG PUCK'S GOURMET MACARONI & CHEESE RECIPE - (4.1/5)

Steps:

• 1. Making a roux In a heavy large saucepan over high heat, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter. When it bubbles, gradually sprinkle and whisk in the flour to form a smooth paste. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook, whisking constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, without browning. 2. Completing and enriching the béchamel Whisking continuously, gradually pour the hot milk into the roux. Adjust the heat to maintain a simmer. Season with salt, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Briskly whisk the egg yolks into the pan. 3. Making the cheese sauce Whisk in the Cheddar until smooth. Simmer over low heat, whisking often, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, 15 to 20 minutes. Add and whisk in one-half cup Parmesan. Adjust seasonings to taste, adding more nutmeg if you like. 4. Cooking the macaroni Cook the macaroni in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still slightly chewy. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Rinse the macaroni under cold running water to stop the cooking, and drain again. 5. Combining macaroni and sauce Butter a 10- to 12-cup baking dish. Transfer the macaroni to a large bowl. Add the cheese sauce and stir well to combine, adding some reserved cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if needed to coat the pasta well. Spread the mixture in the prepared dish. 6. Topping the casserole Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the top of the macaroni mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese, then the breadcrumbs. Dot the top with 1 to 2 tablespoons butter. 7. Baking and serving Bake until the pasta is heated through and the topping is crisp and deep golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. To serve, scoop onto individual plates or into bowls.