HERE IT IS!
Mac n Cheese Video
Ingredients:
1 1/2 quart heavy cream
10 thyme sprigs
8 cloves garlic
10 whole black peppercorn
3/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
3 cups freshly shredded mozzarella
2 cups freshly shredded sharp cheddar
2 cups freshly shredded parmesan
1 block bousrin cheese
1 lb elbow macaroni
3/4 lb bacon
3 tablespoons chopped chives
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375F
Add your heavy cream, garlic, and peppercorn to a pot and bring to a simmer. While the cream is simmering, heat a pot of water for the noodles and add when boiling.
Grate your cheese as well while the sauce is simmering.
When your cream comes to a simmer, mix the cornstarch and the water and pour into the cream, stirring with a whisk. One it simmers for a minute or two, remove from the heat and string the sauce into a large bowl. If the sauce is too thick, you can add some water or more cream to thin out. (see video consistency)
When your noodle are al dente (a bit “to the tooth”) string the noodles and run cold water over them to stop the cooking.
Mix your noodles and 3/4 of the cheese in the large bowl with the sauce. Save 1/4 of the cheese to top the mac and cheese before baking.
Pour the noodle mixture into a large baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese and place in the oven.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until the top is bubbly, golden brown, and delicious.
While the mac n cheese is baking, add your diced bacon to a cold pan and render over medium-high heat until it’s crispy. Strain from the pan (Save the bacon fat for cooking) and set aside.
To finish the mac n cheese, top with fresh chives, the crispy bacon and some more shredded parm if you would like.
Made this for our 4th of July cookout. It blew everyone away and is definitely my go to mac & cheese recipe now.
Some notes:
- It made a bit too much for the 9x13 (3 Qt) baking dish I had. But that's fine. Freeze the extra and bake it another time!
- I used Tillamook sharp cheddar and made sure the Parm was certified Parmigiano Reggiano. I think the quality of the cheese is really important!
- I feel like the secret ingredient was the block of bosin. People were blown away with delight when I told them that was in there.
Great stuff Chef Gruel. Thank you again!
I'm making this tomorrow for a holiday BBQ ... Will report back, looks amazing!
Chef - do you have a favorite sharp cheddar?