St. Patty's Day Mac & Cheese

Hello Fellow Culinarians!

It has been a while since I last posted, but life has been very busy and I haven't made too many new dishes to publish of late. However, this past St. Patty's Day, my wife and I ventured to throw our 2nd Annual St. Patty's Day Feast for 25 people. Needless to say, there was lots of great food and one of the dishes that was really a hit was my wife's Mac & Cheese.

The recipe was adopted from "Cabot Creamery Macaroni and Cheese" from the Costco Cookbook. She modified it to make it even more creamy and it was a huge hit at the party. So many of the people in attendance asked for the recipe that she asked me to publish it on my blog. So, here we go!

We made 2 lbs. of pasta, so we augmented this recipe by a factor of 4, but the recipe below makes 8 servings.

PREP TIME: 15 Minutes
STOVE TOP COOK TIME: 15 Minutes
OVEN COOK TIME: 20-30 Minutes

Ingredients:

2 Cups Small Elbow Macaroni (or shells, fuscilli - be creative)
3 TBSP Butter
3 TBSP All Purpose Flour
1/4 Tsp Dry Mustard (we use Coleman's)
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
1 Dash Worcestershire (Lea & Perrins)
2 Cups Whole Milk, heated (we used Skim Plus to cut down on fat and calories)
4 cups cheese (grated or small cubes) - [Nicole mixed shredded cheddar, Land O' Lakes American (had it cut thick at deli, then she cubed it small) and Velvetta. Ratio of 2 Velveeta to 1 Cheddar to 1 American. Hold enough grated cheddar aside to top the dish before putting in the oven.]

Tools:

9x13 Pyrex baking dish or similar
Large Saucepan/Pot
Whisk (preferably a rake whisk if you have one, or a regular one if not)
Baking Spatula (silicone)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray Pyrex baking dish with non-stick spray or coat with butter to create a non-stick surface.

2. Cook and drain pasta according to directions (cook towards the al dente side so it is not too mushy...if it gets too mushy, it will only get mushier when you bake it). When you drain, immediately rinse with cold water...this will stop the pasta from continuing to cook in the colander.

3. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat (keep and eye on it, you don't want it to burn). Once the stick has fully melted, start adding flour and whisk constantly until the flour/butter create a smooth paste with a nutty aroma, about 5 minutes or so (if you have a "rake whisk", we found that works best). You must constantly whisk this to work...otherwise you will get burnt flour butter...yuck!

4. Once the paste is formed, add dry mustard, cayenne and Worcestershire. Whisk that until well blended in the paste, about 15 seconds.

5. Add milk to paste, whisking briskly. Only add 2oz. at a time, whisk until blended, then add another 2oz. Continue until all milk is incorporated. The mixture will get easier to whisk as more milk is added. When all milk is added, you will have the makings of a "Rue", which looks like a very wet cream sauce. Keep whisking until sauce thickens slightly and starts to simmer.

6. Once the Rue starts to simmer, reduce heat to low and start adding cheeses. Remember to hold back 1/2 to 3/4 of the cheddar so you can sprinkle on top. Slowly add the cheese, using a baking spatula to mix constantly as you add. Continue to stir until the cheese is melted and incorporated into the mixture and there are no lumps of cheese still visible. The mixture should be a creamy cheese mixture when you are done (consistency will be that of a cream soup...you will still be able to stir it with ease).

7. Stir in cooked macaroni and mix until all is coated and blended. Pour entire contents of pot into Pyrex. Sprinkle remaining cheddar cheese on top to coat entire dish. Sprinkle Paprika over top of dish lightly, then cover with foil and place in oven for approximately 20 minutes.

8. Once 20 minutes elapses, remove foil and cook for another 5-10 minutes, just until edges begin to crisp slightly. Remove from oven, allow to set-up for 5-10 minutes, then serve.

I hope you enjoy my wife's Mac & Cheese...it was absolutely delicious and it is not difficult to make. Just remember to whisk constantly and you'll be well on your way to making a delightful dish for your family.

Good luck! Buona Fortuna, and as always...

Yours in cooking,
Chris