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Mac and cheese


Allen

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Ingredients: 

1 lb of cavatappi pasta (or pasta of your choice)

½ cup butter

½ cup flour

4 cups milk

6 cups freshly grated white cheddar

1 teaspoon salt (to season)

up to 1 teaspoon pepper (to season)

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

Method: 

Oil pasta in salted water according to package instructions.

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. 

Sprinkle in flour and whisk and cook 2-3 minutes. 

Add in salt and pepper. 

Slowly pour in 4 cups milk whisking until smooth and heating to a low boil until thickened. 

Do not stop until thick. Remove from heat. 

Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and add the hot pasta to the dish. 

Over the top sprinkle 6 cups of freshly shredded cheese. 

Pour the thickened cream sauce over the hot pasta and cheese and let it sit until the cheese melts. 

Stir everything together.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. 

Add in panko bread crumbs, stirring constantly 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. 

Pour over the mac and cheese.

Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 12-15 minutes.

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I don't use a recipe, I make it up as I go. I usually start by making a bechamel, then add 3 to 5 different cheeses depending on my mood. I'll usually brown up some kind of meat like bacon, andouille sausage or ham, and add that as well. I like to use medium size shells, as they really hold the sauce.  Then I put it on a baking dish, add more cheese to the top, along with bread crumbs or french fried onions, then bake it until it's bubbling and brown on the top.

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Here's recipe for my "fondue sauce" - which works with mac & cheese, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. and - with a 4-6 oz can of crabmeat added - turns baked tilapia into gourmet food with a thick layer of the cheese/crab sauce applied during the last 5 minutes of baking.

This makes plenty for a pound and a half of tilapia filets.  I usually expand it by 50% for a large head of cauliflower plus an equal amount (two heads) of broccoli or for 16 oz of macaroni.

If I'm taking it to a group dinner, I put the cooked mac or veggies or fish in a 12" disposable lasagna pan, pour/mix in the fondue sauce, add an aluminum foil cover, then take it to the party and tell the hostess to put it in the oven around 350F for 15 minutes.

Forgive the colors and underlined stuff in the recipe I originally cut and pasted and slightly modified this from:

https://www.food.com/recipe/baked-tilapia-w-fondue-sauce-and-crab-211482

there's a similar sauce recipe for cauliflower here: https://www.food.com/recipe/traditional-english-cheddar-cauliflower-cheese-gratin-216237

Fondue Sauce

· 2 tablespoon butter 

· 2 tablespoons flour 

· salt and pepper

· 1 cup milk (1 use 2% or, in a pinch, half and half)

· 3/8 cup (5-8 oz) sharp cheddar cheese, grated

· 4 1/2 - 6 oz. ounces canned crabmeat, drained

· 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

· 1/8 cup sherry wine (optional)

Instructions

1. For the sauce, melt the butter in a pan over low heat. Stir in the flour until smooth (a paste) and let it heat for about 1 minute with stirring to remove the raw taste from the flour.  This is called a "roux"

2. Add the optional nutmeg if desired - I don't just due to preference.

2. Gradually stir in the milk under medium heat. You will feel lumps of the roux as you stir but they will suddenly dissolve when the milk gets very warm and it will begin to thicken. Cook and stir until smooth.  This is called a "bechamel sauce" or "white sauce."

4/ Add the sherry if desired.  I don't due to not keeping it on hand.

3. Add the cheese, and stir until melted.

6 If adding canned crabmeat as a baked whitefish (tilapia, haddock, cod, etc.) topping, add it just after the cheese melts.

7. Turn off the heat when done;.

Tilapia with Fondue Sauce and English Cauliflower Cheese - both with virtually same sauce:

image.png.52f2c8c32f7bb4660dd9537ea86e172a.png  image.png.e77b6ee0a89775076a66762230873f7d.png

 

 

 

 

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8 hours ago, UglyBob said:

I don't use a recipe, I make it up as I go. I usually start by making a bechamel, then add 3 to 5 different cheeses depending on my mood. I'll usually brown up some kind of meat like bacon, andouille sausage or ham, and add that as well. I like to use medium size shells, as they really hold the sauce.  Then I put it on a baking dish, add more cheese to the top, along with bread crumbs or french fried onions, then bake it until it's bubbling and brown on the top.

I use UB’s method. Try these instead of the onions sometime:

 

84531A5D-4EC5-4277-AFFB-413385D6BAA0.png

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My base is from the slow roasted Italian book. You can add anything you want or change the cheese blend— just use at least 8 ounces. In this recipe shredding your own makes a much better texture. I think the stuff added to machine shredded cheese makes the sauce runny. 
 

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups whole milk (2% is good too)
  • 1 pound dry mini penne pasta
  • 8 ounces of Italian blend shredded cheese  I typically use four ounces of mozzarella and what ever else I have. You can use the cheddars too but then swap the Italian seasoning for white pepper and garlic and stuff. 
  • 1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning (I prefer McCormick Tuscan Style Italian Seasoning)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, cook pasta according to package directions, to al dente.  Drain pasta once it is cooked and set aside.  Work on the next step while your pasta is cooking.
  2. Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan over medium heat melt butter, add flour and Italian seasoning and whisk for about 2 minutes to cook out the 'flour-y' taste. Add milk and continue to whisk occasionally, allowing the mixture to thicken. Add cheeses and whisk until fully combined.
  3. Pour cheese sauce over strained pasta and stir to combine. Sauce will thickens as it sits.
  4. Serve and enjoy!
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Milk, butter, 1/2 Gouda, 1/2 aged Dutch boerkaas, onion, diced ham S&P & the secret ingredient, nutmeg. 

I don’t make it often as the aged boerkaas is hard to find & expensive at around $30 for a wedge large enough at the Dutch market. Basically sauté the onion, make the cheese sauce by melting the cheese with milk & butter, S&P & Nutmeg to taste, add chopped ham,  cook elbow macaroni, drain but don’t rinse and add to cheese sauce.

For me it’s all about the cheese. You can do it with cheddar but my mom always made it with Dutch cheese and that’s how it has to be for me.

 

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