Mac and cheese has been receiving quite the face lift in the past few years. Now a staple on many restaurants menus, the dish is seen in many forms. I've seen it dressed up (lobster, truffles) as well as, dressed down (Velveeta, Ritz topping). What most of us have associated with neon orange powder and limp soggy tubes of pasta has grown up and donned a whole new wardrobe.
While I was also subjected to the space-aged powdered variety, I was also lucky enough to be born to a mother who appreciates food and fostered in her only daughter a drive to create and seek better food. Her homemade mac and cheese is the building blocks from which I create my own version of the ultimate comfort food.
We always get a good laugh that she originally took the recipe from the back of a pasta box.
In my opinion, there are four components to a good mac and cheese:
1. Pasta shape
2. Cheese
3. Accents or Mix-ins
4. Topping
With those four components there are infinite possibilities. I have experimented with a lot of combinations, but since this was the first time Daum was going to have my mac and cheese (and he was skeptical) I decided to keep in simple. I chose three cheeses, one simple mix-in (which I knew would hook him) and for the first time, a homemade breadcrumb topping. I don't know how I came so late into the homemade crouton/breadcrumb game, but I'm never going back. NEVER!
The most important characteristic of the pasta shape is that it must must allow the cheese to get trapped within its shape.
I chose orechiette for this one because I was trying to be fancy and I have never used it before. Orechiette means "little ears" in Italian. So just think how much water gets trapped in your ear when you go swimming...that's cheese sauce. Mmmmm...
I agonized over the types of cheese I was going to include. I already knew I was going to use a white sharp cheddar as my base cheese. There's no getting around that; I don't think I could make a mac and cheese with out it. It would just be sacrilegious!
The other types were hard. I went into Trader Joe's with all Italian cheeses in mind. Maybe a combination of asiago, fontina and parmesan, but it was not to be, as there was no fontina to be found. I ended up leaving with asiago and manchego. It was a surprise to me too! I wanted the asiago for its salty sharp taste and it melts wonderfully, and I chose the Manchego, well basically because I love manchego and it is hard for me to resist Trader Joe's prices, but also because when it melts I've noticed it had a slight stringy texture that make you go "ooohhh" when you pull your fork off of your plate.
My mix in was pancetta: fancy Italian bacon. I've gotten Daum hooked on that.
Mac and Cheese with Pancetta and Homemade Breadcrumb Topping
Ingredients
1 lb orechiette
4 ounces pancetta, diced
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups Milk ( used 1%) for a richer cheese sauce up the percentage of milk fat.
5 cups of assorted cheese, shredded (I used sharp white cheddar, asiago and manchego)
1-2 cups homemade breadcrumbs
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350.
Boil pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Pour into a buttered two quart casserole dish or 9x13 inch baking pan.
While pasta is cooking, add the diced pancetta to a 5 quart sauce pan. Stir until brown and remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
Discard most of the fat that rendered from the pancetta and add 6 tablespoons of the butter to the pan. Allow the butter to melt before adding 6 tablespoons of flour.
Whisk together butter and flour until it forms a loose paste or roux. Season with salt and pepper. Remember the cheese is salty as well so only a little salt is needed if any. Allow the roux to cook to alleviate the raw flour taste, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn.
Slowly add in the milk. About 1/2 cup to 1 cup at a time. Let the milk and roux mixture thicken before adding more.
When all the milk has been added and the mixture coats the spoon, add the cheese a few hand fulls at a time until it is all melted. When completely combined stir in the pancetta.
Pour the cheese sauce on top of the pasta and stir to combine. Top with homemade bread crumbs and bake for 30 minutes, until cheese is bubbling and crumbs are crisp and dark brown.
Optional: Broil for the last five minutes on high to crisp the breadcrumbs more.
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| Right out of the oven. I have the burnt tongue to prove it! |
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| Trust me the pancetta is in there! |
I served this with a quick Caesar salad with homemade dressing and homemade croutons.
Serve generous portions to your friends and you will never lose them! Also helpful in retaining boyfriends and soothing irate neighbors, double that if you served them Vodka and Grapefruit Soda Cocktails.
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| Half-full and on it's way to empty. |
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