Prior to last night's dinner, I thought I already possessed the best-ever macaroni and cheese recipe: my Mom's Thick-n-Rich Mac-n-Cheese. While that dish is nothing short of delicious, I have found a recipe that trumped it (ugh, just using the word). I did have the recipe for the ultimate mac-n-cheese in a book on my bookshelf, but had not attempted Anne Burrell's version. While I am sure to stick with my Thick and Rich Mac-n-Cheese on occasion, I was so impressed with this Rockin' mac-n-cheese that I quickly signed up to bring a side for my son's baseball banquet. I can't wait to sneak this dish onto the table and listen to the chatter. It's just THAT GOOD.
I must have had a paperclip on page 141 of Anne Burrell's fabulous cookbook: Cook Like a Rockstar since purchasing the book, but it took me four years to actually try. See, my husband went to Amsterdam and brought me back my favorite food souvenir: CHEESE! So I'm going through all these deliciously cheesy recipes to use my gifts... so page 141 was on the list, and I am oh-so-glad!
Aside from the Fontina cheese, I followed the recipe pretty much to a T. Note my Baby Gouda from the Netherlands...
I didn't measure my cheese, but it's suggested to use 2 cups of cheddar, 2 cups of Fontina (or Gouda) and 1 cup of the Parmigiano. I may have used more, and I made certain to reserve a handful to top the macaroni and cheese before baking.
Aside from the all-important cheese, you'll need:
- bacon (about 6 slices) - 1/2 C all-purpose flour
- 3 TBsp unsalted butter - 4 C whole milk
- 1 yellow onion, diced - 1 pound pasta (shells or short tubes)
- Kosher or sea salt - 1/4 C Dijon mustard
- Tabasco to taste
Alright, let's cook!
Boil your slightly salted water and add the pasta when the water comes to a boil. Cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a large pan, crisp up your bacon and remove to a napkin'd-plate, but do NOT discard the bacon grease. I chose to sop up a bit with a paper towel, but I might not next time. --- Don't forget to crumble your bacon when it has cooled.
In the same pan, add the butter and soften the onion, maybe 5 minutes. Slowly add the flour and stir constantly before adding the milk. Whisk it till it's super creamy. Add the cheeses and the mustard and whatever amount of hot sauce that you prefer.
Then add in your cooked pasta and the crumbled bacon. Anne Burrell says that you can eat it straight from the pan (and I did taste some and it totally works!) But she also writes that you can make it warm and bubbly in the oven. I chose to make individual bowls and warm in the oven for about 10 minutes. Of course, I topped it with some of the reserved cheese mixture.
After a few minutes, my individual sides of Rock Star Mac-N-Cheese were bubbly, ready to eat and fabulously delicious. I served this gem with my Chili's inspired BBQ chicken which I will blog one of these days.
Enjoy!!!! This is my new go-to Mac-n-Cheese. It's absolutely perfect!
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