Friday, June 8, 2012

of Smoked Gouda and Sharp Cheddar Mac and Cheese

There's probably something you should know about me, I am in love with cheese. Seriously, everything from Gruyère to Mascarpone to Muenster to Manchego and I have tried and love basically everything minus American Blue Cheese. Add that to my love of all things pasta and you have this monster waiting at the gates tempting me with it's bad boy image. I didn't grow up with homemade Mac and Cheese because my mom is allergic to aged cheese. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered the taste of real, homemade, from scratch Macaroni and Cheese. The stuff from the box is still my ultimate comfort food but I make this for a luxurious and totally deserved treat.

I first came across the recipe I adapted into this recipe when I was cruisin' Pioneer Woman's site for a delicious down home Mac and Cheese Recipe. I'm sure her version is as amazing as all her other food, and the pictures are just gorgeous!  I later combined her recipe with my late grandmother's to very interesting results. However, I tend to treat recipes strictly as guidelines or jumping off points to flex my culinary muscles. I've tried all kinds of variations on both of the original recipes with all kinds of additions, cheeses, subtractions, and substitutions. I finally found the one on a hot summer's day just recently. 

I have always been a huge fan of anything smoked (get your minds out of the gutter people). Cheese of course is no exception to this rule. The savory, smokey flavor of the Gouda would be delicious as a creamy sauce on its own if not for somewhat overly smokey flavor when one tries vast quantities. Luckily, a good sharp or extra sharp cheddar holds its own against the big flavors emitted by the smoked Gouda. The balance between these two contenders creates a culinary experience that hits all of the taste notes on the way down. It's creamy, rich, and completely delightful any time of year. You could bring this as a side dish to a summer BBQ, serve it up with broccoli for a quick veggie meal, or eat it from a soup mug on a blustery fall day. 

Today's Cast of Characters:

One of my favorite things about macaroni and cheese is the simplicity of its ingredients. Keeping with that theme the ingredients are pretty standard today. A bit of dried macaroni, an egg some butter, and some all purpose flour provide the bones of the dish. Add in some fat free half and half (all the creaminess, none of the guilt! Side note pretend the heavy whipping cream in the picture is actually the fat free half and half...the containers looked exactly the same) and some dry mustard and a basic béchamel sauce is achieved. Today I used three kinds of cheese, about one third a pound of smoked Gouda, farmhouse new york cheddar probably about half a pound, and about a quarter pound of aged cloth bound sharp cheddar. The result was fantabulous. Salt, Cajun Seasoning, and Ground Black Pepper finished off the dish, and what a dish it was.

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. You'll thank me later when you don't have to wait to enjoy your ooey gooey mac and cheese until the oven preheats.

First, cook your macaroni until very firm.  I did mine for about 3 minutes and then I drained the pot and rinsed the macaroni with cool water to stop the cooking process and wash off extra starch.

Next grate up your cheeses. Its ok if you have more than pound of cheese like I did because you can just use the extra as a topping for extra cheesy goodness.

 
Here's where it gets just a little challenging. In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Let the mix cook for about 4 or 5 minutes until it starts to brown but not burn. I often wait a bit longer than necessary but it just gives the end result a nuttier taste.
 
Once the roux you just made is cooked and has browned to a consistency you feel comfortable with, pour in your half and half. I add the mustard to the half and half so that it is easier to manage.
Add a bit of the half and half whisking until smooth after each addition. Cook until very thick which basically means the mixture coats the back of a spoon. After this happens, you can reduce the heat to low.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork until its pretty frothy. Take 1/4 cup of the béchamel and pour it slowly into the egg, whisking the entire time. This process is important because its tempering your egg. Without this step you'd have fancy scrambled cheese eggs and macaroni, which while it may taste good, won't be the custardy smooth consistency we're going for.
After the mix is smooth, pour the egg mixture into the béchamel sauce. Whisk in your egg mix until the entire pot is smooth and uniform in color.
Now comes my favorite part! Add in your grated cheese, eyeballing a pound if you have extra. Its ok if you add a little more or less to the pot but try to be semi accurate at least. Stir until the cheese is melted and the mix returns to its creamy consistency. You don't want to sacrifice its creamy texture at this stage in the game so make sure all cheese is actually melted.
Add in your salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Stir and do a quick taste test. It is very important that you do not under salt at this stage, so the sauce should taste a bit saltier than you like it usually. If necessary add more salt, pepper, or Cajun seasoning so the desired taste is achieved.
Stir in the reserved macaroni. If you notice it sticking together run it quickly under cold water again to loosen up the starchiness. Mix until the macaroni is evenly coated. Today I used about a quarter cup less than whatever 4 cups of dried macaroni equals when you cook it. I like my macaroni and cheese to be extra saucy. What is nice about this is that if you prefer a cakier pastaier mac and cheese you can always add more macaroni at this stage!
Pour the mix into a sprayed or buttered 9x13 baking dish. Even the mix out, top with the remaining cheese, and stick it in the nicely preheated oven. Bake the macaroni and cheese for 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese on top has melted and the edges are getting a bit brown and bubbly. I couldn't wait that long to eat it today so I cooked it for 18 minutes when the cheese was melted and the mix was bubbly but not brown. I thought it was amazing. I've also just straight up broiled the mac and cheese after cooking it for about 10 minutes and it turned out great too so feel free to experiment with cooking times and techniques, just try to resist grabbing some with a fork before its cooled a little.
Serve it up however you desire it and enjoy! 

Like this recipe? Check out the rest of my blog you may find something you like. I'm more than Mac&Cheese I swear!


Ingredients:

4 cups Dried Macaroni
1 Egg Beaten
4 Tablespoons Butter
¼ cups All-purpose Flour
2-½ cups Fat-Free Half and Half
2 teaspoons Dry Mustard, More If Desired
⅓ pound Smoked Gouda

½ pound Cheddar Cheese (any Kind You Want)
¼ pound Aged Clothbound Sharp Cheddar
½ teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
½ teaspoons Cajun Seasoning, More To Taste
½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook macaroni until very firm, about three minutes. Drain and rinse with cool water.
3. Grate up a pound of your choice of cheese, reserve. 
4. -In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.
5. Pour in half and half with mustard added a bit at a time and whisk until smooth each time. Once all cream has been incorporated cook until very thick. Reduce heat to low.
6. In a small bowl, beat egg.Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. 
7. Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth and uniform in color.
8. Add in cheese and stir until melted, then add salt, pepper, and cajun seasoning. Taste sauce and add more seasoning if desired. Mix should taste salty, add more salt if needed. 
9.Add back in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
10. Pour mix into a greased baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top. Serve and enjoy!

43 comments:

  1. Saw this on Pinterest... It looks amazing!

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  2. Hi there! I found this on Pinterest and made it the other night. I actually loved it so much that I featured the recipe on my blog and linked back to your page. This was AMAZING!

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    1. I am working on a Gluten Free version too, wish me luck. Thanks for reading, your recipe looks great too!

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  3. Doing this today. Will let you know the results.

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  4. I'm trying out this recipe tonight with the hope that this fantastic sounding combination of cheeses will please everyone in the house. Thanks for the recipe!

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  5. Does the egg fix the grainy sauce problem I usually have when I use non-processed cheese? Looks delicious!

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    1. The egg just makes it have a creamier consistency. The grainy sauce problem typically comes when you don't rinse the starchiness off of the Macaroni before adding it to the cheese. That's why I recommend rinsing it thoroughly in cold water before adding!

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  6. Is there another type of cheese that I can use, instead of the Clothbound?

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    1. You can use any kind of aged cheddar just make sure it is sharp. Sometimes I mix it up and throw in some gruyère and its delicious too!

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  7. Found on Pinterest. Tastes gourmet, definitely one for the REAL recipe box, husband and 4 year old gobbled and fell over into a food coma! Substituted for what was in the house: a box of farafelli (teeny bowtie pasta) for the macaroni, 1C heavy whipping cream and 1 1/2 C milk for the half and half, and tumeric for the dry mustard. Fair warning- this recipe can feed an army- consider halving if you don't want leftovers! :) -Paige

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  8. This recipe is amazing...I made it with gluten free flour and brown rice pasta and it worked wonderfully! I also have an egg allergy so i just left that step out! I was worried it would not be as creamy but it was thick, gooey, creamy and WONDERFUL!! I'm actually going to make it for the second time this week for company! I like it but i'm pretty sure my waistline will regret me finding this pin.

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  9. Just made this tonight - delicious! Will admit, mine wasn't super-gooey, but maybe I didn't use enough cheese as the kind I had (well, half of it) was pre-shredded? Either way, I'll definitely be making it again. I think it would be delish with some smoked paprika added...mmm...

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    1. when you use preshredded, that always contains an anti-caking agent called cellulose or potato starch. Its always best to shred your own fresh cheese. it will work so much better!

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  10. Well shoot. I've made PW's mac and cheese enough times that I know it by heart and haven't had the grainy problem. This time I did. Blah.

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  11. I love this recipe! I thought i was the only one who would like it. Nope! There was NO leftovers. Making it tonight, larger batch,i want leftovers!

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  12. Your recipe calls for Half & Half yet your picture shows heavy cream?? Which one should I use?

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    1. The half and half...i confused the containers while taking a pic.

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  13. My family really liked the Mac and cheese, even my son-in-law who claims not to like cheese. Thanks for the recipe, it's one I plan on making again.

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  14. Thank you! I am really looking forward to clogging my arteries with this deliciousness.

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  15. I can't wait to try this! I have been looking for a long time for a good mac & cheese recipe.

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  16. I am trying this on my family tonight. It looks amazing.

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  17. Any idea if I have to bake it right away? I'm going to a dinner party and would like to prep it on my lunch hour (and keep in fridge) until I arrive to the party and throw it in their over just before serving. Would it be a problem to keep the uncooked mixture in the fridge for a few hours?

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    1. Sure! I sometimes make it the night before. It generally takes a little longer to bake straight from the fridge (10-15 minutes). I'd recommend leaving it out for a bit to bring it up to room temp before baking. That way the time will remain the same.

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  18. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  19. Could you put this in a slow cooker? If so how much time? I have to make then transfer then have got for Thanksgiving

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  20. also curious about slow cooker option?

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  21. Gonna try this for Thanksgiving. My mouth is already watering

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  22. Just wondering how many cups a pound of cheese is? I'm trying to eyeball it :) thanks!

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  23. I've made this base recipe at least a dozen times and I can't get enough! We've started using colby jack instead of the smoked gouda (and we use at least double the called for cheese) and leave out the cajun and mustard since I'm super picky about that. We've halved the recipe into a 9x9 and even quartered it into a bread loaf pan when it's just the two of us and it holds up so well! Hands down the best mac and cheese recipe I've found.

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  24. Hi, I'm a new blog follower. I write the Baked Lava blog at bakedlava dot com if you want to visit. I love this recipe...and will be making a version of it soon. I'll be posting it with credit back to you, of course. Thanks for a great, easy recipe! I'm a die-hard mac and cheese lover!

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  25. So I have had this recipe bookmarked for a long time now and I finally worked up the energy to make it. I went into it thinking it was going to be time consuming, but reading through your instructions beforehand and prepping before I started made this surprisingly easy! The flavors are wonderful and I can't stop licking the leftover sauce in the pan while I wait on the oven! I just want to thank you for publishing the recipe!

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  26. I can't wait to make this...but I'd love to print it out. I'm sure it's right under my nose...but where is the link to a printable version?

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  27. How many servings does this make? Thanks!

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  28. I would love to serve this up for Thanksgiving...30 people! Would doubling the recipe be sufficient?

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    1. I doubled everything and it turned out wonderfully and tasted amazing! Definitely making this recipe again!

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  29. I might make that tonight, as I just got a free sample from http://www.fabfreesamples.co.uk/free-a2-cheese-giveaway/ and I think it will go perfect!

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  30. How many servings does this make?

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  31. I made this and it was fabulous! I had a ton left over and added sun dried tomatoes, spinach, and smoked kielbasa the next day. Yum!

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  32. Has anyone done this is the slow cooker? If so, how did it come out and what was your cooking time? Did you change anything?

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  33. Best way to reheat this dish?

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