I made these two kinds of gourmet Mac and Cheese with my co-chef Yelena who inspired the Mushroom Mac and Cheese which we served with fresh basil and drizzled with Truffle oil!
The truffle oil really brought out the amazing 3 cheese blend of roquefort blue, gruyere and extra old cheddar and combined perfectly with the delicate and succulent taste of the mushrooms. In the end, it was the mushrooms that made this mac n cheese taste out-of-this-world delicious! If you are a mushroom fan, buy some nice organic mushrooms of your preference to use-the more exotic the better (like portobello, oyster,shiitaki), but we used button mushrooms and it tasted amazing, so the choice is yours. If you choose to make make the Mac and Cheese with mushrooms, add them to the prepared cheese sauce for about two minutes on low heat until just heated through and then mix this final sauce with the drained pasta. After broiling the top of the Mac and cheese til browned and golden, drizzle truffle oil and eat immediately!
Here are all the ingredients you will need:
*about 100 grams EACH of coarsely GRATED extra old cheddar, gruyere and crumbled roquefort blue cheese (feel free to substitute gorgonzola, but you need a strong blue cheese of some kind to get a taste that is delicious and not too plain or strong for this dish to tase good)
*2 and a half cups of milk-organic
*1/3 cup of butter- organic
*1/4 cup flour-organic
*a small finely chopped onion- organic
peppercorns, at least a tablespoon
*350 g of organic macaroni (use about 3/4 of a 500 g package for a 4 servings of macaroni and cheese)
**optional 1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms of your choice
**fresh organic basil leaves for garnish and truffle oil
Step:1: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil to cook pasta. Cook pasta for 8 minutes. Do this as you are making the sauce in step 2. Time it wisely, so you can drain right before the milk sauce is done.
NOTE: The pasta should be drained, but still WARM when it is added to the milk and cheese sauce that is already prepared.
Step 2: Saute the finely chopped onion in some olive oil, until cooked, over low to med heat. When done, put aside. At the same, in another saucepan, heat the two tablespoons of butter until melted and add HALF of the 1/4 cup flour and stir so it mixes without lumps,then keep adding flour as much as you can with what's left as long as they combine to a smooth mixture. Then, quickly add milk, cup by cup, while stirring mixture constantly over medium heat. Also, now is the time to add in the cooked onions and peppercorns, and heat over medium heat so it thickens. This should only take a few minutes. Let the sauce boil a little, then take off heat for a minute while you add the cheese. (It should look similar to my second photo (above) before adding the cheese in Step 3.
Step 3: Take the two grated cheeses (gruyere and cheddar), mix them into the warm sauce (If it has cooled down a little, heat it back up on low heat) and combine, so melted. Once they are uniformly combined in the milk sauce, add the crumbled blue cheese and stir so well combined. Adjust heat accordingly, and remember to keep stirring as long as it's on the heat or else it could burn or stick to the pot!
Step 4: Now quickly take the drained, warm macaroni, toss into a large, deep non- stick pasta pot (I put it back in the same pot I used to boil and cook the pasta) and add the cheese sauce. Stir /toss to combine well. A wooden spoon works best. Pour into LIGHTLY OILED oven safe dishes. I used to rectangular glass pyrex dishes. You can use a large lasagna pan too.
Step 5: Lastly, broil on top level of oven for as long as it takes for the mac n cheese to become golden brown and crispy on top. WATCH it as you are BROILING the top of the Mac and Cheese and leave oven ajar (open a little) so you can keep an eye on it while it is browning. It could take 5 minutes but WATCH it constantly. This browning stage is what makes the difference in taste, as the crispier it is on top, without being overdone, the better this mac and cheese will be enjoyed!
Step 6: Remove from under broiler and let cool for 5- 10 minutes. Serve and eat immediately garnish with sprigs of fresh organic basil and drizzled delicately with truffle oil. Enjoy your gourmet mac and cheese! A nice arugula salad with my zesty vinaigrette (see 3-cheese pizza margherita recipe) will also be a nice accompaniment to this comforting dish.
After making this recipe, please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments box below to give me your feedback or any experiences with any substitutions you may have tried, bon appetite!
Step 2: Saute the finely chopped onion in some olive oil, until cooked, over low to med heat. When done, put aside. At the same, in another saucepan, heat the two tablespoons of butter until melted and add HALF of the 1/4 cup flour and stir so it mixes without lumps,then keep adding flour as much as you can with what's left as long as they combine to a smooth mixture. Then, quickly add milk, cup by cup, while stirring mixture constantly over medium heat. Also, now is the time to add in the cooked onions and peppercorns, and heat over medium heat so it thickens. This should only take a few minutes. Let the sauce boil a little, then take off heat for a minute while you add the cheese. (It should look similar to my second photo (above) before adding the cheese in Step 3.
Step 3: Take the two grated cheeses (gruyere and cheddar), mix them into the warm sauce (If it has cooled down a little, heat it back up on low heat) and combine, so melted. Once they are uniformly combined in the milk sauce, add the crumbled blue cheese and stir so well combined. Adjust heat accordingly, and remember to keep stirring as long as it's on the heat or else it could burn or stick to the pot!
Step 4: Now quickly take the drained, warm macaroni, toss into a large, deep non- stick pasta pot (I put it back in the same pot I used to boil and cook the pasta) and add the cheese sauce. Stir /toss to combine well. A wooden spoon works best. Pour into LIGHTLY OILED oven safe dishes. I used to rectangular glass pyrex dishes. You can use a large lasagna pan too.
Step 5: Lastly, broil on top level of oven for as long as it takes for the mac n cheese to become golden brown and crispy on top. WATCH it as you are BROILING the top of the Mac and Cheese and leave oven ajar (open a little) so you can keep an eye on it while it is browning. It could take 5 minutes but WATCH it constantly. This browning stage is what makes the difference in taste, as the crispier it is on top, without being overdone, the better this mac and cheese will be enjoyed!
Step 6: Remove from under broiler and let cool for 5- 10 minutes. Serve and eat immediately garnish with sprigs of fresh organic basil and drizzled delicately with truffle oil. Enjoy your gourmet mac and cheese! A nice arugula salad with my zesty vinaigrette (see 3-cheese pizza margherita recipe) will also be a nice accompaniment to this comforting dish.
After making this recipe, please feel free to add your thoughts in the comments box below to give me your feedback or any experiences with any substitutions you may have tried, bon appetite!
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