Toss the bread crumbs with the butter and a sprinkle of salt in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the top of the macaroni and cheese. (It will look very loose, but the pasta will suck up a lot of the sauce as it bakes.) Season to taste with salt if needed. Whisk in the Cheddar and Gruyere until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.Īdd the macaroni and the reserved pasta water to the saucepan and stir to combine. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Continue simmering until the half-and-half is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Heat the half-and-half and cayenne in a large saucepan over medium heat until it just comes to a simmer. ![]() ![]() Strain, reserving 1 3/4 cups of the pasta water. Add the macaroni and cook until it is al dente, about 6 minutes. Toppings made with Panko breadcrumbs are unparalleled in texture.Set an oven rack 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.īring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Finally, my favourite breadcrumbs to use is Panko.The latter gives the sauce sharpness, which is so nice to flavour a pound of bland macaroni! I personally love a combination of medium to aged cheddar (they only sell white cheddar in the UK) and Gruyere. If you are a cheddar cheese purist, go ahead and use it but go for a good quality cheese with loads of flavour.Due to an anti-caking agent they pack the cheese in, sauce made with pre-grated cheese comes out grainy and lacking in flavour. I get it, pre-grated cheese is convenient but it will not produce smooth sauce. My other important tip is to use good quality cheese, which you will grate yourself.This allows the breadcrumb topping to crisp up but leaves the sauce rich and gooey! Baking it longer is unnecessary since all ingredients are hot and cooked already. My biggest tip for baked macaroni and cheese is not to overbake it!! I put mine in the oven only for 10 minutes at 200C/400F.Things move on and we need to embrace the progress. Classic but with slightly better ingredients than they used in the 50s. Macaroni, practically swimming, in that creamy, cheesy sauce and topped with crispy breadcrumbs.Īnd that is exactly the recipe I am bringing to you today. We all imagine the same picture when we hear the words old fashioned mac and cheese. They want pure, unadulterated, classic version. All good efforts but not exactly the thing people want when the craving for mac and cheese hits. This inspired me to go on and make Bacon and Brie Mac and Cheese, then Layered Italian Macaroni and Cheese. ![]() My family and my readers fell in love with that creation. So I used funky shaped pasta, better (read “French”) cheese and smoky sausage. I wanted to make a more sophisticated version of the classic macaroni and cheese with cut-up hotdogs, my husband loved so much. The first one was Cheddar and Gruyere Mac and Cheese with Polish Kielbasa, which is actually pretty damn good. So I tried to re-invent it by coming up with my own interpretations. So I wrongly assumed that macaroni and cheese, made the traditional way, was bland, stodgy and not exciting enough to repeat. Not sure why but most likely due to the fact I’ve been fed bad versions in the past. For a few brief moments, I feel like the woman of the hour. I don’t make it too often but whenever I do, a mini celebration ensues. My husband’s always been a diehard fan and passed his passion on to the kids. Serve with our Lemon Garlic Green Beans for a healthy and delicious side dish.Ĭreamy macaroni and cheese is in our family’s top 5 dishes. Old fashioned baked macaroni and cheese, topped with crispy and buttery herb and garlic breadcrumb topping.
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