Macaroni and Cheese
Macaroni and Cheese
Macaroni and Cheese
Who doesn’t like Macaroni and Cheese or as it is more often called Mac and Cheese. There are so many variations, this is just one, use your imagination and see some of my suggestions below.
Serves 4 to 6 generously
Macaroni and Cheese
Who doesn't like Macaroni and Cheese or as it is more often called Mac and Cheese. There are so many variations, this is just one, use your imagination and see some of my suggestions below.
Serves 4 to 6 generously
Ingredients
- 500 gr elbow macaroni
- 2 tbsp course salt for boiling the pasta
- 110 gr Jarlsberg cheese coursely grated
- 110 gr Gruyere cheese coursely grated
- 60 gr Parmesan finely grated
- 5 dl chicken stock
- 5 dl milk
- 5 tbsp flour
- 4 tbsp butter for the sauce
- 1-2 tbsp butter for greasing the baking dish
- 2 tbsp fine bread crumbs for lining the baking dish
- 1/2 teas nutmeg grated
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard generous
- 1/2 teas white pepper
- 200-250 gr Kassler or thickcut ham cut into small cubes
- 2 tbsp butter to dot the top of the dish
Instructions
The pasta
- Begin by putting on a pot of water to boil with the salt and boil the pasta until al dente. Strain and set aside.
- While the water is getting hot grate the cheese, taking out 2tbls of the Jarlsberg and the Gruyere. Also take 1 1/2 tbsp of the Parmesan and set aside.
- The cheese that you take away will be for sprinkling over the Mac and Cheese once you have it in the casserole.
- In a microwave or two sauce pans heat the chicken stock and the milk separately until hot.
- In the mean time grease the oven dish with butter and sprinkle in bread crumbs. Shake the dish to distribute the crumbs evenly, turn the dish upside down over the sink and tap out any extra. This will help to stop all that cheese from sticking to your baking dish.
- Take a saucepan large enough to hold 1 1/2 liter or 1 1/2 quarts of liquid. Over medium heat melt the butter and whisk in the flour and let this cook for about 3 minutes so the flour will take the liquid. Using a whisk add the chicken stock a little at a time until it thickens, then do the same with the milk keeping back a little if the sauce is becoming too thin.
- Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg and Dijon mustard. Then add the grated cheeses keeping the little extra that you took out.
- Take the cooked pasta drain and return it to the pot, add the sauce and the cubed cooked meat, mixing well. Taste for salt and pepper.
- Now pour the mixture into the oven dish, sprinkle over the reserved cheese and then the bread crumbs. Dot with a little butter and put into the middle of a 200°C or 400°F oven for about 40 minutes or until the dish is bubbling and nicely browned on top.
- Remove and let sit at least 10 minutes before serving with a nice salad.
Notes
As I said there are lots of ways to make Mac and Cheese, try a different combination of cheeses, a mature cheddar, Apenzeller. Keep in mind that you should have a strong cheese and a more mild one, Parmesan is always a good third, it adds a salty note. I find the European semi hard mountain cheeses are excellent as are American cheddar's for Mac and Cheese.
As for the filling you can try 140gr of crispy fried bacon. Use 8oz or 250gr of left over roast or boiled chicken. You can even take 2 small chicken breasts straight from the freeze and gently poach them in 5 dl or chicken stock made from bouillon cubes. Left over meats of almost any kind are great. Just no asian flavors please!!!!
This recipe is not as expensive as you would think. We are two people and this will give us generously, 2 dinners, 2 lunches, and 2 portions for the freezer for another night when I don't have the time to cook.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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