Mac and Cheese

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Mac and Cheese

I love my Mac and Cheese in the winter months, especially when I stay in Buffalo and there’s a snow storm taking place outside. I have tasted many different variations of Mac and Cheese, but my very favorite recipe is the baked Mac and Cheese with fresh Challah breadcrumbs on top. Obviously the cheese that is used dominates the flavor of the dish and I love to experiment and mix different types of cheese every time I make this recipe. Also, I love the recipe that includes peas mixed in with the Mac and Cheese. I recently watched a cooking show on T.V. where the chefs were asked to make the best Mac and Cheese possible, and the judges tended to like the recipes that stuck to the basic ingredients without too many changes. 

You’ll need:

Serves 5

3/4 lb of elbow Macaroni

1 cup of frozen peas

1 oz butter

10 fl oz of cream

4 oz grated Provolone cheese

4 oz grated Cheddar cheese

4 oz grated Romano cheese

4 oz grated Gruyere cheese

¾ cup homemade Challah breadcrumbs

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¾ oz of butter

Salt and white pepper to taste

How to:

Preheat the oven to 350 F and then cook the pasta in a pot of boiling, salted (a pinch of salt) water. Usually for the 3/4lb of pasta, you will need 4 liters of water which is the equivalent of 2 tall jugs. The pasta takes approximately 8 minutes to cook because we want the pasta “al dente,” not too soft. When the pasta is ready, you drain the water out and set it aside.

In a saucepan, use medium heat to melt the 1 oz of butter, then add the cream and stir together for one minute. Add the Provolone, Cheddar, Gruyere and Romano cheese and stir over low heat until melted and then add a little bit of salt and pepper. Always taste to make sure that you’ve put enough seasoning in.

Mix the pasta and the cheese sauce together, add the peas and pour into a medium sized (9 inch) oven proof dish. Take two slices of Challah bread and place in a chopper/mixer for a few seconds until breadcrumbs are formed. Mix the breadcrumbs together with the parmesan cheese and then sprinkle on top of the pasta evenly; dot with the remaining ¾ oz of butter.

Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.

 

 

 

 

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