Macaroni & Deliciousness




There are many things in the culinary world that I find insanely and often unjustly intimidating. For example; Pâte à choux, Hollandaise Sauce and anything that involves beating egg whites into stiff peaks. It was my unreasonable fear of Roux that prevented me from ever making Macaroni & Cheese from scratch. But a fearless friend of mine told me that it's much easier than it looks, and that if I can make white gravy I can make Macaroni & Cheese.


Coming from a bloodline that has made it's course through many a bacon clogged artery, I am no stranger to a basic white gravy. There have been many, many (shamefully many) mornings where I have bared witness to the starchy, creamy, pepper flecked sauce (laden with Jimmy Dean sausage) being ladled bountifully over fluffy, dense biscuits. I know how to make it, I've made it since I was old enough to stand on a step stool and hold a whisk. I bleed gravy.


Not literally, that's gross.


Around the same time my friend gave her words of encouragement I had an outrageous craving to try something new, delicious, and made with goat cheese. You know me, I love goat cheese. I found this simple recipe on the Southern Food website that worked great and have played off it a million times since. It tricked me into making a Roux by never referring to it as a Roux. Great tactic. And I trust the South can make some Roux.


Here are my beginnings. I was going for blonde, but this is quickly after the butter began to sputter and the flour was soaked up:


I chose to use some chive & herbed chèvre, Tillamook Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar and some grated Parmesan. I omitted the herbs, since my cheese was herbed, and I used evaporated milk in lieu of 2%. It was not orange enough for my liking, so I added some red food color gel. Here it is before I put it in the oven:







Not everyone is a fan of breadcrumbs on Mac & Che so half way through cooking I topped it off with the next best thing; more cheese. This time I went for the plain ol' shredded cheddar, probably Kraft or Sargento, and more Parmesan:





I don't have any after pictures because it went so fast. I must have done something right.


The first batch was a little grainy, I think I used some cheap Parmesan. Since then I've played around with some different cheeses, especially after our trip to Tillamook last summer:






Gorgeous sunset, no? Anyway, we got some awesome little loaves of roasted garlic, cracked pepper and smoked Cheddars and habanero and Monterrey jacks. I've tinkered and tampered and experimented and once, and only once, failed, like ya do. Some tips I can share are:

  • Don't over do your Roux. Medium blonde is good enough, but brown starts to taste too much like beef stew or something
  • The finer the shred, the quicker the melt. Obviously. But if you have a thick shred on a soft cheese and a fine thread on a hard cheese they can usually balance out a bit
  • A daub of cream cheese can really help balance out a sauce that you fear may turn out to be grainy. So can a blob of sour cream, but that pairs better with medium cheeses
  • The Parmesan that comes in a green can in the pasta aisle (aka "Shakey Cheese)... Yea, not so much.
Here's the recipe, I urge you to visit your local cheesemonger and make something yummy!
Ingredients:
8 ounces elbow macaroni (about 2 cups raw)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk, 2% is fine
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh chopped mixed herbs, or 2 teaspoons dried leaf herbs (thyme, sage, chives, etc.)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 ounces goat cheese with herbs or plain
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
4 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 tablespoon melted butter
Preparation:
Grease a 2-quart baking dish. Heat oven to 350°.

Cook macaroni following package directions; drain, rinse, and set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir in flour until well blended and bubbly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly; continue cooking and stirring until slightly thickened.
Add the herbs, salt, and pepper, then stir in the goat cheese and Cheddar. Stir in about 3 ounces of the Parmesan cheese. Continue cooking and stirring until cheeses have melted.

Stir in the drained macaroni and turn into the prepared baking dish.

Combine bread crumbs with melted butter and toss with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the casserole.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbly and nicely browned.Serves 4 to 6.

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