My Favourite Macaroni Cheese

Name: How to cook My Favourite Macaroni Cheese - cookcic.com
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 4 people
Cuisine: Us

Introduce

Chef :

Jodie Mann

My Favourite Macaroni Cheese

The ultimate comfort food. I've made this so many times that I really feel I've got this nailed. This can be frozen before baking – defrost thoroughly before cooking. For a posh alternative, try crumbling 50g Stilton, Dolcelatte or Roquefort into the sauce, instead of the Parmesan. Pour the pasta into the dish, then top with 4 trimmed field mushrooms, gills facing upwards, instead of the crumbs. Drizzle with a little oil, season, then top with a little more blue cheese. Bake as stated below.

Ingredient

Food ration :

Serves 4 people

Cooking time :

Ready in around 50 minutes

250 g

macaroni or pasta of choice (I love Rigatoni)

50 g

baguette, cut into small chunks

1 tbsp

butter, melted

40 g

butter

40 g

plain flour

600 ml

whole milk

1 tsp

freshly ground nutmeg

180 g

strong cheddar cheese, grated

90 g

Gruyere cheese, grated

50 g

Parmesan, finely grated

150 g

streaky bacon or pancetta, cut into strips/cubes

Cooking instructions

* Step 1

Heat oven to fan 180C. Spread 50g baguette chunks over a baking sheet, drizzle with 1tbsp melted butter and season.

* Step 2

Bake for 6 minutes or until crisp, then set aside.

* Step 3

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 1 or 2 minutes under the recommended package cooking time (around 8-9 minutes). Drain well and set aside.

* Step 4

Fry the streaky bacon/pancetta in a non-stick frying pan until just about crispy. Remove from the heat and set aside while you make the sauce.

* Step 5

For the cheese sauce: heat the butter in a medium saucepan on a low heat until melted. Stir in the flour using a hand whisk and cook for around 10 minutes, stirring continuously until the flour is ‘cooked out’. The consistency will change to a thinner ‘sauce’ and the colour may go slightly caramel. This is when you know it is ready to add the milk.

* Step 6

Gradually whisky in the milk, splash at a time until all the milk has been mixed in and the sauce is thickened. Meanwhile, preheat the grill to hot

* Step 7

Turn the heat down to low on the sauce, and add 45g of the gruyere and 130g of the cheddar, a tsp of nutmeg nutmeg and stir until it is well combined and melted.

* Step 8

Add the pasta to the sauce and mix well. Transfer to a deep, suitably-sized ovenproof dish.

* Step 9

Scatter over the bread and the remaining cheese and the parmesan and place the dish under the hot grill. Cook until the cheese is browned and bubbling. Serve straight away.

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