Need Mac & Cheese recipe

[soonerbrat]

For tomorrow, I want to make some baked mac & cheese using Fontina and/or Gruyere cheese, or maybe a 4 cheese one...anyone have a favorite recipe?

[JohnnyMack]

In before The posts something asinine.

[KABOOKIE]

How hard can it be? Noodles, water, butter, cheese in a covered baking dish. Set the oven for 450F and remove when it's golden brown.

[soonerbrat]

How hard can it be? Noodles, water, butter, cheese in a covered baking dish. Set the oven for 450F and remove when it's golden brown.

really? you just throw it in a pot and you're done.

[KABOOKIE]

really? you just throw it in a pot and you're done.

Hello. It's a baking dish and then there's the part about turning on the oven. Are you sure you're a woman?

[JohnnyMack]

Bacon. And breadcrumbs.

[saucysoonergal]

Ingredients
Kosher salt
1 (16-ounce) package macaroni (cellentani or other curly noodle)
1/4 pound bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more to butter baking dish
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups grated fontina
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
3/4 cup grated Gruyere
3/4 cup grated white Cheddar (Australian)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain.

In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, saute the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Saute the onion in the bacon drippings until soft. Add the 5 tablespoons butter to the onion mixture and melt the butter stirring with a wooden spoon.

Using a whisk, add the flour, and stir constantly until well mixed with the fat making a roux. Whisk in the mustard. Gradually add the milk and cream whisking constantly.

Add the thyme, bay leaf, and salt. Let come to a simmer and stir frequently for 15 minutes.

Strain the hot milk mixture into a metal bowl and discard the solids. Working quickly, mix in 1 cup fontina, blue cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere, 1/2 cup white Cheddar, 1/2 cup Parmesan, the reserved bacon, and parsley. Continue to stir until all cheese is melted.

Add the cooked noodles to the cheese mixture to coat. Add the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Mix the remaining cheese and bread crumbs together and sprinkle on top of the noodles. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown. Remove from oven when done and rest for 5 minutes.

[JohnnyMack]

Girl got my back! I was just thinking bacon and breadcrumbs would be good and there you go!

[soonerbrat]

Hello. It's a baking dish and then there's the part about turning on the oven. Are you sure you're a woman?

oh really, do you even know what fontina cheese is?

[OUthunder]

I have one but you had better like smoked gouda.

[soonerbrat]

I have one but you had better like smoked gouda.

i can probably substitute fontina for Gouda - they have a similar texture.

[mgsooner]

Blue box.

[OUthunder]

i can probably substitute fontina for Gouda - they have a similar texture.

Yes, but smoked gouda is what makes it taste sooooo darned good. The kids even like it.

[soonerbrat]

Blue box.

they don't make that with Fontina or Gruyere

[soonerbrat]

Yes, but smoked gouda is what makes it taste sooooo darned good. The kids even like it.

they have a similar flavor, i promise.
you should try it with fontina sometime...but not danish fontina, use only Fontina Valle D'aosta (Italian)

Danish fontina is OK, but Italian is the original, and the very best.

[saucysoonergal]

Brat went to Italy and loves all things Italian!!! ;)

[Leroy Lizard]

There is only one macaroni and cheese recipe worth bothering with, and it's easy. It's right on the side of the box.

http://www.frugalfritzie.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/kraft-macaroni-and-cheese.jpg

I hate it when people use elaborate recipes to ruin such a wonderful American dish. I love Kraft macaroni and cheese and I spit on lame attempts to ghey it up.

[soonerbrat]

*sigh* are you sure you're not an OSU fan?

[MamaMia]

I made this recipe and it was so easy and a big hit

Ingredients:
12 oz pasta shells (I used shell)
4 tbs butter
8 tbs flour
2 cups milk
6-8 oz grated Vermont white cheddar cheese
1 oz grated American cheese or a cheese of your choice
1 egg (optional)


Boil about 12 oz of pasta shells. Slightly undercook the pasta. Set aside.

Microwave 4 tbs of butter with 8 tbs of flour for two minutes, stirring with a whisk after each minute. Then slowly add 2 cups of milk, stirring with the whisk constantly. Microwave the entire mixture for several minutes, stirring after each minute, until sauce thickens and takes on a matte finish. How many minutes will depend on the power of your microwave. (Mine took about 6 minutes).

Add grated Vermont white cheddar to sauce. The sauce should be hot enough that the cheese will melt as you stir. If not, you may add the cheese then microwave a little more. For an extra creamy sauce, pour a small amount of the pre-cheese sauce into a separate bowl, add one egg and beat vigorously, then return the reserved sauce to the original sauce. Add cheese to taste. I used an entire 8oz block. Add a dash of grated American cheese or a a cheese of your choice. I have also used Fontina.

Combine pasta and sauce, then pour into a well-greased baking pan. The pasta will absorb some of the liquid, so don't worry if the mixture seems more liquid-y than the way you would normally serve pasta. I used a 9 by 9 in. pan. Bake at 350 degrees covered for about 25 minutes or until bubbling and starting to become golden.

[KABOOKIE]

*sigh* are you sure you're not an OSU fan?

OUCH! No need to go the low road.

[Leroy Lizard]

*sigh* are you sure you're not an OSU fan?

It's the cheesiest. It says so right on the box.

I suppose you're one of the foo-foos that prefers homemade raviolis over Chef Boyardee's.

[SanJoaquinSooner]

I use Alton Brown's recipe. My daughter doesn't eat meat so this is sometimes her main dish. Lizard, she used to eat the Kraft Mac & Cheese all the time, but once I went scratch, she never went back.

It calls for sharp cheddar, an easy substitute to get the type of cheese desired.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe/index.html

[soonerboy_odanorth]

Eh... I have a hard time using cheeses like Gruyere and Fontina in dishes like this where there is such a blend of other cheeses and ingredients. Partly because of the expense. And because ultimately when it's done it's still going to be, well, mac-n-cheese.

And with the blend in saucy's recipe I think you'll lose all of the uniqueness that each cheese variety brings to the table. Combining a gruyere and fontina and accenting with some blue? OK, I get it. But throw in cheddar and parmesan, a couple of sharps, on top of that? I think you will just overpower your more "delicate" gruyere and fontina.

For my money you could make saucy's recipe quicker and cheaper by simply using Kraft Old English Cheese subbing for all cheeses listed. Brown the bacon and onion together, skip the roux, just add the mustard, a teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme and a teaspoon of chopped fresh basil, milk and cream, the Itallian parsley, the cheese, get it all good and melty, toss in your cooked noodles making sure they're well covered, throw in the baking dish and cover with the bread crumbs and crumbled blue cheese to dress it up, and voila!

[ouleaf]

Ingredients
Kosher salt
1 (16-ounce) package macaroni (cellentani or other curly noodle)
1/4 pound bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more to butter baking dish
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups grated fontina
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
3/4 cup grated Gruyere
3/4 cup grated white Cheddar (Australian)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain.

In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, saute the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Saute the onion in the bacon drippings until soft. Add the 5 tablespoons butter to the onion mixture and melt the butter stirring with a wooden spoon.

Using a whisk, add the flour, and stir constantly until well mixed with the fat making a roux. Whisk in the mustard. Gradually add the milk and cream whisking constantly.

Add the thyme, bay leaf, and salt. Let come to a simmer and stir frequently for 15 minutes.

Strain the hot milk mixture into a metal bowl and discard the solids. Working quickly, mix in 1 cup fontina, blue cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere, 1/2 cup white Cheddar, 1/2 cup Parmesan, the reserved bacon, and parsley. Continue to stir until all cheese is melted.

Add the cooked noodles to the cheese mixture to coat. Add the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Mix the remaining cheese and bread crumbs together and sprinkle on top of the noodles. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown. Remove from oven when done and rest for 5 minutes.

Saucygal is on to something here....this is how I do it when I have the time, where you make your own cheese sauce and really infuse the flavor of that sauce by simmering the milk/cream sauce with all the bacon, onion, thyme, mustard, etc. flavors. I'd also use some garlic too. Then you add your grated cheese to that and make sure it is nice and melted. Can't go wrong with a vermont cheddar.

Mix together with the pasta, put into individual baking dish or individual rammekins if you have them. top with a bit of parm cheese, and some more grated cheddar or bleu cheese crumbles and panko breadcrumbs. Bake off till golden and bubbly.

[Breadburner]

See if you can get Wolfgang Pucks recipe....its awesome.....

[silverwheels]

Macaroni and powdered cheese out of the box = disgusting.


It's not that hard to do the real thing (fontina + gruyere = awesome). And if you have any left over, you can chill it, cut it into little blocks, then bread it and pan or deep fry it.

[usaosooner]

Macaroni + Cheese = Profit

For baking my personal preference is angel hair (it clumps better IMO)

[Frozen Sooner]

There is only one macaroni and cheese recipe worth bothering with, and it's easy. It's right on the side of the box.

http://www.frugalfritzie.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/kraft-macaroni-and-cheese.jpg

I hate it when people use elaborate recipes to ruin such a wonderful American dish. I love Kraft macaroni and cheese and I spit on lame attempts to ghey it up.

American? Pfft.

When I was staying in Switzerland this summer, the mac and cheese over there blew ours away. And I will second the suggestion that Gruyere in mac and cheese is incredible.

[Viking Kitten]

Guinness Mac and Cheese (http://www.food.com/recipe/irish-macaroni-and-cheese-with-stout-351040)

I've made this on occasion and girrrrl, it is a cheesy, delicious party in your mouf. (Sorry the recipe is formatted weird, it's a copy and paste.)

Ingredients:

Servings:
4 4 4-6 (http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/)Servings Size


Update
3 teaspoons butter (http://www.food.com/library/butter-141), Kerrygold
2 teaspoons shallots (http://www.food.com/library/shallot-127), chopped
3/4 cup Guinness stout or 3/4 cup other dry irish stout beer (http://www.food.com/library/beer-519)
2 cups heavy cream (http://www.food.com/library/heavy-cream-361)
1/2 cup swiss cheese (http://www.food.com/library/swiss-cheese-612), Kerrygold grated
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (http://www.food.com/library/cheddar-cheese-564), Kerrygold Vintage grated
1/2 cup dubliner cheese (http://www.food.com/library/cheese-520), Kerrygold grated
3 1/2 cups pasta (http://www.food.com/library/pasta-273), cooked and cooled (clover-shaped if available, otherwise elbow)
3/4 cup plain breadcrumbsDirections:

Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 50 mins

1 Preheat oven to 350° F and butter a 9x13-inch baking dish or six 6-ounce ramekins.
2 Cook pasta acording to its directions. Al dente is fine. Cool pasta and set aside for later.
3 In a skillet over medium heat, melt 1 teaspoon of the butter. Add the shallots and cook until soft, but not browned, about 3 minutes.
4 Add the Guinness and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Then add the cream and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
5 Separately, Melt remaining 2 teaspoons of butter.
6 In a bowl, combine the cooked pasta, cheese, and cream mixture.
7 Pour into prepared pan or ramekins. Top with bread crumbs and spoon melted butter over the top.
8 Bake for 30 minutes, until bread crumbs are lightly browned and sauce is bubbling.

[ouwasp]

There is only one macaroni and cheese recipe worth bothering with, and it's easy. It's right on the side of the box.

http://www.frugalfritzie.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/kraft-macaroni-and-cheese.jpg

I hate it when people use elaborate recipes to ruin such a wonderful American dish. I love Kraft macaroni and cheese and I spit on lame attempts to ghey it up.

here's an idea for future reference... my wife has done it and it is really good:

Use chicken broth instead of water.

[Adrian]

Ingredients
Kosher salt
1 (16-ounce) package macaroni (cellentani or other curly noodle)
1/4 pound bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more to butter baking dish
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups grated fontina
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
3/4 cup grated Gruyere
3/4 cup grated white Cheddar (Australian)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain.

In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, saute the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Saute the onion in the bacon drippings until soft. Add the 5 tablespoons butter to the onion mixture and melt the butter stirring with a wooden spoon.

Using a whisk, add the flour, and stir constantly until well mixed with the fat making a roux. Whisk in the mustard. Gradually add the milk and cream whisking constantly.

Add the thyme, bay leaf, and salt. Let come to a simmer and stir frequently for 15 minutes.

Strain the hot milk mixture into a metal bowl and discard the solids. Working quickly, mix in 1 cup fontina, blue cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere, 1/2 cup white Cheddar, 1/2 cup Parmesan, the reserved bacon, and parsley. Continue to stir until all cheese is melted.

Add the cooked noodles to the cheese mixture to coat. Add the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Mix the remaining cheese and bread crumbs together and sprinkle on top of the noodles. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown. Remove from oven when done and rest for 5 minutes.

That seems like an awful lot of trouble for mac and cheese...

[Breadburner]

Use whole milk when making your mac n cheese out of the box.....

[soonerinabilene]

Macaroni and powdered cheese out of the box = disgusting.


It's not that hard to do the real thing (fontina + gruyere = awesome). And if you have any left over, you can chill it, cut it into little blocks, then bread it and pan or deep fry it.

i do this, but instead of breading it i wrap it completely in bacon.

[soonerinabilene]

my wife also likes to add cream of potato soup to it, then bake it with shredded cheese on top.

[Hot Rod]

Bacon. And breadcrumbs.

THIS ^^^

Btw, if you havent had the Mac and Cheese at BJs, try it sometime. You wont be disappointed!

[soonerloyal]

Brat, I'm sorry I wasn't on to see this. But one of my faves is much like the one so generously shared by Saucy, so I woulda been hella redundant. Tell us how it turned out!

(BTW...while the Blue Box has its place in guilt-inducing-and-nutritionally-empty-but-weirdly-good snack lore, it simply isn't REAL Macaroni and Cheese. Those who think so need a huge plate of the Real Thing accompanied by a Mama hug-and-spoil session.)

[soonerloyal]

i do this, but instead of breading it i wrap it completely in bacon.


*gaahhhhhhhhhhhh* Completely Bacon *gaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh*

[soonerbrat]

It turned out pretty well. I ended up using Danish Fontina, the Italian was all sold out. I used shredded parmesan on top to make it crispy & brown, and i put some bleu cheese ot give it a kick. gorganzola was also sold out. it was a hit.

[soonerchk]

Which one did you use? I'm printing and want feedback.

[soonerbrat]

I actualy used one from food network's iPhone app. It was giada's fontina mac & cheese. I would proably use a little less milk, and I used penne pasta instead of egg noodles, and gorganzola really would've been good with it...the bleu cheese was just something i saw at the store and thought would be good

[soonerchk]

Hmm, I may add that to the list. I'm always looking for a really great Mac & cheese recipe.

[soonerbrat]

usually what I do is look at a bunch of different recipes and kinda take the components I like best and add those

[SanJoaquinSooner]

usually what I do is look at a bunch of different recipes and kinda take the components I like best and add those

Mac & Cheese Fluency.

[soonerchk]

usually what I do is look at a bunch of different recipes and kinda take the components I like best and add those

I only do that once I've made the original a few times so I don't screw it up. You are obviously more fearless than I am.

[silverwheels]

You can't be afraid of the mac n' cheese, chk. Make it be afraid of you.

[soonerchk]

You can't be afraid of the mac n' cheese, chk. Make it be afraid of you.

Glare at it until it submits to my will? Got it.

[silverwheels]

Well, whatever works for you. Show dominance, and the mac n' cheese will bend to your will.

[soonerchk]

So I should beat that cheese right into it?

[silverwheels]

With some passive-aggressive verbal abuse.

[waynepayne]

Macaroni and powdered cheese out of the box = disgusting.


It's not that hard to do the real thing (fontina + gruyere = awesome). And if you have any left over, you can chill it, cut it into little blocks, then bread it and pan or deep fry it.

So I am looking for a caterer for my graduation party... ;)

[soonerchk]

With some passive-aggressive verbal abuse.

Got it. And then i too can pick and choose the parts of the recipes I like best and create a masterpiece!

[silverwheels]

So I am looking for a caterer for my graduation party... ;)

A couple of my classmates are looking to get into catering. I'll let them know. ;) :P

[silverwheels]

Got it. And then i too can pick and choose the parts of the recipes I like best and create a masterpiece!

Yep. As long as the food fears you, not the other way around.

[olevetonahill]

Glare at it until it submits to my will? Got it.

You dont want to curdle that shat.:eek:

[soonerbrat]

Well, whatever works for you. Show dominance, and the mac n' cheese will bend to your will.

no no no no no! you have to make friends with it and sweet talk it!

[waynepayne]

no no no no no! you have to make friends with it and sweet talk it!

sw couldnt sweet talk his way out of a paper bag.

[silverwheels]

sw couldnt sweet talk his way out of a paper bag.

Nope, because I don't have to.

[unbiasedtruth]

Soonerbrat.... sorry late to this party.... the only cheese for mac and cheese is marscarpone.

Google Cal Hancock lobster mac ands cheese as she uses this cheese and its freaking awesome, with or without the lobster

[soonerbrat]

marscapone....it might be a nice additive but it doesn't have much flavor. i'll check it out

[silverwheels]

Mascarpone is great for cheesecakes.

[proud gonzo]

marscapone....it might be a nice additive but it doesn't have much flavor. i'll check it out

mascarpone and sharp cheddar might be a nice combo, though

[soonerbrat]

ooh, sharp cheddar or some gorganzola. i love gorganzola with mild cheese, it gives it just a nice tang.

what I finally actually did - penne pasta and the cheese sauce was 2 cups heavy cream, 2 1/2 cups whole milk, 2 tbs flour, fresh chopped Italian parsley, 2 cups fontina, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup grated parmesan, 1/2 cup bleu cheese, whisked together and then tossed with the aldente pasta, put into a buttered baking dish and then topped with some of the cheese mix and some shredded parmesan. bake at 400 F for about 25 minutes when the sauce was bubbly and the cheese on top made a nice crispy brown crust. it had to sit for about 20 minutes before it was cut.

Next time, i will probably add some gorganzola instead of regular bleu cheese, a little less milk, maybe some creme fresh or marscapone instead of the heavy cream, and some bread crumbs on top mixed with the cheese

[proud gonzo]

sounds pretty good! I'm not a bleu cheese fan, so I'd probably substitute something else for that. Otherwise, nice recipe!

[trpltongue]

I took a shot at Saucy's recipe and it was fantastic, if not expensive :) All told it set me back $40 for mac and cheese :eek:

It filled a 9x13 pan and I still had leftover cheese so I bought more noodles and made a second batch. All told it was about $25 per batch.

I have to say, it's the best mac and cheese I've made and I've made a bunch of scratch mac and cheese. However, it's also by far the most expensive. If you want to splurge and eat on it for a few days, I say go for it, it's truly a great recipe.

[NormanPride]

I've had almost purely bleu cheese m&c, and it was allsome. Of course, I love bleu cheese. :D