I was chatting with some friends on Facebook today and I mentioned that I have a stellar recipe for Fried Mac and Cheese. It is something I do with the leftovers from my baked Mac and Cheese. They all asked for the recipe so I decided to put it up for them. Then I realized that I hadn’t put up my Baked Mac and Cheese recipe to begin with.
This is a recipe that I’ve adopted from one that I got from Alton Brown. The key is making the cheese sauce and the key to the cheese sauce is making a blond roux. This may seem like a lot of work but it isn’t really as bad as it sounds and you will not have had a tastier Mac and Cheese than this one. I guarantee it.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
8 ounces elbow macaroni
3 Tbs unsalted butter
3 Tbs all purpose flour
1 Tbs ground mustard powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 cup onion, diced
3 cups whole milk
1 large egg
3 ounces sharp or mild cheddar cheese, grated
4 ounces Chevre goats milk cheese, cut into small chunks
3 ounces Pecorino Toscano Stagionato cheese, grated
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Topping
3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
3 Tbs unsalted butter
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bring 2 quarts of water and 1 Tbs kosher salt to a boil in a 4 quart pot. Add the macaroni and cook for about 6 minutes or until al dente (a tad undercooked is ok as long as it is not hard or crunchy). Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.
Melt 3 Tbs butter in a saucier or sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and and cook until the mixture is pale blond in color (about 3 minutes). This is your roux. To this roux, whisk in the mustard, paprika and onion. Cook for about a minute then whisk in the milk and cook for about 7 to 8 minutes, whisking constantly (incidentally, you’ve just turned your roux into a Béchamel sauce but I digress). Remove from the heat.
Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl. Temper the egg into the milk mixture. This means adding a bit of the hot milk mixture to the egg and mixing it in. I usually do it with 4 tablespoons of the hot liquid, one at a time, and thoroughly mixing it in. Then take the heated egg and add back to the remaining milk mixture. This will keep the egg from immediately cooking when added to the milk mixture. Stir in the cheeses, salt and pepper. Fold in the macaroni and put in a casserole dish large enough to hold it all (at least 3 quarts).
Top the casserole by sprinkling the remaining cheddar cheese on the top. Then melt the butter and toss the panko with the butter and sprinkle on the top of the mac and cheese.
Cook for 30 minutes and then cool for 5 minutes before serving.
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