Mac and cheese

I'm always on the lookout for the next best mac and cheese recipe. I went to one of my favorite recipe and food sites -- FoodGawker -- and searched for mac and cheese. They have the greatest pictures there. Seriously...just looking makes you hungry. Dang.

I chose this recipe because it looked cheesy and gooey and lovely.


Ingredients

1 ¾ c gobbetti pasta [I used macaroni]
Salt
2 ½ c extra sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
2 tbsp plus 1 tsp all- purpose flour
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp dry mustard
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper [I used 1/8]
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg [I used a bit more which was too much]
2/3 cup sour cream
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 c grated onion [left out because Matthew doesn't do onion much]
1 ½ c half and half [I used all half & half -- had no heavy cream]
1 ½ c heavy cream
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce [left out - Dominic is allergic]
2 ½ c grated extra sharp cheddar cheese [used about 2 cups Gruyere]

Step 1: Boil the pasta in salted water until tender. Remove and drain. Place the drained pasta into the baking dish of your choice. My mom used a cast iron pan, but you can use a 9×13x2 baking dish or whatever else you like. Mix in the cubed cheddar cheese. [I used the 9x13 pan]

Step 2: Preheat the oven to 350 F

Step 3: Take the flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl. Stir them together so that everything is evenly mixed together.

Step 4: Add the sour cream, and eggs. With a wire whisk mix all ingredients together until mixture is evenly incorporated.

Step 5: To the mixture, Whisk in the onion, half and half, heavy cream, and Worcestershire until it is thoroughly blended together.

Step 6: Pour this mixture over the pasta and cheese and then stir everything together. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese on top and then place into the oven.

Step 7: Put in the oven for 30-35 minutes and then let cool for 10 minutes. The cooling is necessary to allow the mac and cheese to set up. [I cooked it for 35 minutes on 350, and then another 15 minutes on 400 -- I'm not sure why this was so off]




I really liked this mac & cheese. It was very cheesy and flavorful. It was NOT one of those recipes that coats all the macaroni with a cheesy sauce. I'm not a big fan of Kraft-like mac and cheese. I'll definitely make this again. I will cut back on the fresh grated nutmeg; it is pretty potent and I used a bit more than the recipe called for because I went crazy with the Microplane and didn't want to waste the nutmeg. I like the cheddar/Gruyere combo too. Works well together.

BTW...makes a LOT of mac & cheese. Our three person family ate on this for three meals. I'd give this 4 out of five stars.