Macaroni Cheese

Paula Deen's isn't too bad. I leave out some of the cheeses if I don't have them on hand. Also.... it's tasty cooked in the smoker.

From the Food Network... http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/...ladys-cheesy-mac-and-cheese-recipe/index.html

  • 2 cups dried elbow macaroni (4 cups cooked)
  • 1/3 cup grated Cheddar
  • 1/3 cup grated Swiss
  • 1/3 cup grated Jack
  • 1/3 cup grated colby
  • 1/3 cup grated Muenster
  • 1/3 cup grated Gouda
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup milk
  • Nonstick spray
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot, bring water to boil. Season water with salt and cook macaroni until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta and place in a large bowl and while pasta is still hot add all the cheese. In a separate medium bowl, using a whisk, combine the sour cream, butter, eggs, salt, pepper, and milk and add to the macaroni mixture. Spray casserole dish with nonstick and pour macaroni mixture into the dish. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Top with additional cheese, if desired
 
I don't use a real recipe, but, will wing it here for you. The basics will be correct, but, measurements may be off a bit.

To start, I use medium, elbow macaroni, or cavatapi, or small shells. I prefer the elbo macaroni with ridges on the outside. Cook them until just al dente. They will soften when in the sauce and get super mushy if you cook them until soft. Drain and reserve. They must be drained and dry before adding to cheese sauce.

Make cheese sauce:
1. Start with 4 tablespoons of fat (bacon fat, lard, grapeseed oil, olive oil) and add 4 tablespoons of AP flour. This is a basic American roux, you just need about equal parts of fat and flour by weight. Cook until flour is thickened, add in 2 cups of whole milk, stir into a sauce. It will seem thin, no worries. Add in 1 pound of grated cheese. I use equal parts of cheddar for flavor, parmesan or grana padano for salt and umami, and either jack cheese, emmenthaler or similar melting cheese for smoothness. Stir until smoothly melted. Adjust seasoning, mostly for pepper. If you need to add salt, you should reconsider your sodium intake.

Combine macaroni and cheese sauce, making sure everything is coated. Place in baking dish, leaving about 1/2" from top. Sprinkle bread crumbs over top and bake, or cook in BBQ for 1 hour. Somewhere around 300F will do the trick.

Getting fancy...
Add 1/2 cup finely chopped onions and 1 teaspoon minced garlic with the flour while making the roux.

Add 1/8 to 1/4 cup finely chopped jalapenos (seeded, as I don't like the seeds in the dish), along with onions and garlic while making the roux.

Add 1/4 cup sherry to the sauce, just before adding the cheese
 
deguerre said:
I think it's funny that "Hatch" brand is REALLY pushing the fact that their chiles are gluten free. Well, duh. :becky:
Click to expand...

I think this is a recent thing. Last weekend I was at the grocery store to get a can of Hatch's. Some cans said "gluten free" and some didn't say that. I stood there for several minutes trying to figure out why gluten would even be in a can of Hatch's.
 
I will throw in my Mac recipe:

Ingredients


    • 1 head of garlic, roasted
    • 1 teaspoon olive oil
    • 1 pound Cavatappi pasta
    • 1/2 pound sliced Applewood smoked bacon
    • 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)
    • 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
    • 8 tablespoons butter
    • 1/4 cup minced shallots
    • 1/2 cup flour
    • 1 quart whole milk
    • 6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
    • 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
    • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions


    1. Preheat oven to 350°.
    2. To roast garlic: Slice 1/2 inch off the top of the entire head of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap garlic head tightly in a square of heavy foil and roast until tender - about 45 minutes. Remove garlic pulp by squeezing garlic head. Smash cloves with a fork to form a paste.
    3. Cook pasta according to package directions.
    4. Cook bacon completely. Drain on paper towels. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon fat. Crumble bacon when cool.
    5. To make topping: Combine breadcrumbs, crumbled bacon, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Set aside.
    6. Preheat oven to 375°.
    7. Sauté shallots over low heat in reserved bacon fat for one minute. Add remaining 6 tablespoons of butter and continue to sauté shallots in butter and bacon fat until translucent.
    8. Add flour and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Increase heat to medium. Stirring constantly with a whisk, add milk and roasted garlic paste.
    9. Cook until sauce is thickened (coats the back of a spoon). Remove sauce from heat then add salt, pepper, nutmeg, Gruyere and Cheddar cheeses. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.
    10. Stir in cooked pasta. Pour into baking dish. Sprinkle topping to cover entire top. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until sauce is bubbly and topping is browned.
 
Just made this last week.......cheers.......:becky: Use the cooker instead of an oven.....:thumb:

Mac and Cheese

Mic's Macaroni and Cheese

7 cups water
1 lb. uncooked mac elbows
1 tbs salt
1 stick butter
1 12oz can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed
10-12 oz sliced block sharp cheddar cheese
Paprika


Bring water, butter, and salt to a boil. Add elbows and boil for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat. DO NOT DRAIN. Add cubed Velveeta cheese and mix well until cheese has melted and blended thoroughly. Allow to cool somewhat. Beat 3 eggs well and add evaporated milk to eggs. Stir to blend and add to mac. Blend well and allow to cool some more. Pour mac and cheese into a 9x13 buttered baking dish or disposable aluminum half pan. Cover with sliced sharp cheddar and sprinkle with Paprika. Place dish in 375* oven for approx. 45 mins. or until bubbly and golden brown. Allow to rest about 20 mins. before serving.
 
Thank you all for your deliciuos sounding ideas. I'll be trying some of these for sure and will let you know how I go.
Cheers Vonnie
 
One more, I had this in the Bahamas in a home style atmosphere. I did a little begging and they gave it to me (probably left out a secret I'd guess :wink:
) . Mac and Cheese is a staple in the Bahamas for what it's worth. She wrote it out long hand for me.

It's very good cooked at home:

[FONT=&quot]South Andros Mac and Cheese[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]4 cups of water[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 box Redi Cut Pasta[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]2 cups Mild Cheddar Cheese[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 small onion diced[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]½ sweet bell pepper diced[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 cup of Milk[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hot pepper optional[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 tsp salt or seasoning (Season All)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 Greased baking dish or pan[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Bring water, salt and Pasta to a boil[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Boil until tender soft[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Drain extra water from pasta and add other ingredients to pasta[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] while hot. Mix 1 cup of cheddar cheese to the mix.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Add the extra cup of cheddar cheese on the top of mixed macaroni[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Bake until topping is lightly browned and macaroni is dried.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour.[/FONT]
 
cpw said:
Is it this one?
http://www.famousdaves.com/daves-cheesy-mac-and-cheese-recipe

sounds pretty good if it is!
Click to expand...

I made that recipe today with some pork loin ribs and it was great meal. For the aged white cheddar cheese I just used the typical yellow sharp cheddar cheese and for the sharp cheddar cheese I used 2 year old cheddar cheese from my favorite cheese factory. If I try this recipe again I may try to shred all the cheese instead of cubing the colby and sharp cheddar.

8757475c-f077-4be2-827f-fda1b49a2894.jpg
 
Ya the aged white cheddar is hard to find without spending big bucks in the stinky cheese section. I found Cracker Barrel aged white in the regular cheese section it's around $4
 
I thought the only difference between white cheddar and traditional WI cheddar is food coloring so I figured the mac and cheese may be a little more colorful, but the cottage cheese tempered that.
 
ironmanerik said:
got this out of one of those small cook mags at the checkout line. Been making it for a while.

8 ounces elbow macaroni
3 ounces bacon (about 3 strips), sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for the pasta water
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 11/2 cups)
2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated (about 1/2 cup)

Cooking Directions
Prep time: 8 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Inactive time: 10 minutes Total: 38 minutes
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until just tender, about 6 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, heat a small sauté pan over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain the fat from the bacon-garlic mixture, and transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.
Add the drained macaroni to the bacon mixture, and stir to combine.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and evaporated milk together. Add the 1 /2 teaspoon salt, cayenne, nutmeg, and grated cheeses, and mix well. Add the macaroni-bacon mixture, and stir well to blend.
Transfer the macaroni to an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish or gratin dish of similar size. Using a
spoon, gently spread the mixture to form an even layer. Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Remove the macaroni and cheese from the oven and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before serving
Click to expand...

Apologise for the delay but I would like to thank you for this delicious recipe. I made it using sharp tasty cheeses and totally enjoyed every single mouthful, which fulfilled my craving for macaroni cheese.
Again I would like to thank every one who passed on their own special way of making this dish, Cheers Vonnie
 
Steve Raechlin has a good recipie for mac n cheese in the BBQ Bible book.
 
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