I
wanted to make mac & cheese for Madison and me and searched the recipes I
had on hand plus others I found on line, and there are lots of them. I decided to use the cheese I had in the
fridge so I was mostly interested in proportions and ended up with this:
1 lb
Macaroni
6 T. Butter
½ C. Flour
4 C. Milk, warmed
6 C. Shredded cheese
S&P
to taste
Bread
crumbs
Cooking
spray
The
cheeses I used were a 1”x1”x4” piece of beercase, a 1”x2”x4” piece Fontina, a 2”
wedge of something from the Marco Island farmers market from back in November, a
cup of pepper jack, and some sharp cheddar.
Over
an eight quart measuring cup, I shredded all of the first three cheeses, a cup
of pepper jack, and up to the six cup mark with cheddar.
Then
I made a roux, added the milk, cooked until thickened, stirred in the cheese and mixed with the al
dente pasta. I poured the mixture into a
greased casserole, topped with bread crumbs, and baked until the sauce was bubbly
and the top was browned (about 45 minutes).
It
tasted very good, but, as can be seen from the photo, didn’t have the really gooey
consistency I like in mac & cheese.
I noticed several recipes contained eggs, but I think the real key may
be to always add some Velveeta - your thoughts appreciated. Also, this would have been too much milk for an unbaked version.
Photos
can be enlarged by clicking on them.
Have
a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.
Larry
3/13/14 event date
3/13/14 event date
I think with all of the different cheeses you really hit the nail on the head. I bet the pepper jack gave it a nice kick of spicy hotness that I like in mac & cheese. The best mac & cheese I've ever eaten was from Bahamian cooks who used evaporated milk in theirs (fresh milk is often hard to find in the islands, thus canned milk is standard) and theirs always had a kick from spicy bird peppers and cut more like a square and not gooey at all. Besides, the best part to me is the crusty top with the cheese :)
ReplyDeleteI'm curious if Madison liked it. Our granddaughter, when she was a teen, would not eat any mac & cheese, no matter how good it was, unless it came from the blue box & believe me we tried.
Sam
You got that right, a million mac and cheese recipes on the www. I did this Friday night wanting to use Swiss and finally just made my own sauce. Anyway, I bet this was delicious, with all those cheeses coming together for an ooey gooey treat. And always love the bread crumbs on top.
ReplyDeleteJim really likes the kind in the blue box. I think it's those childhood memories that it brings back. Not being a cheese eater I have no idea what you should have/or not done.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I try to avoid Velveeta, I have to say that I think it is a natural with Mac and cheese. One of my favorite recipes uses it as the main cheese and then the top is sprinkled with sharp cheddar and crushed and buttered ritz crackers. But yours looks delicious Larry.
ReplyDeleteLarry, Your 'make it with what you have on hand' version of mac n' cheese looks great to me! Lots of cheese but not overwhelmingly gooey... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
ReplyDeleteI love a good homemade macaroni and cheese and usually it's to clean out the cheese bin too. Not a pepper jack lover but always need to throw some Jarlsberg and sharp cheddar in mine and top with tasted panko. Delicious comfort food!
ReplyDeleteVelveeta does work wonders on making mac and cheese gooey, but my suggestion would be to skip the milk and flour and instead, use an egg and condensed milk (not sweetened). It does wonders with making it creamy and when you bake it, it doesn't get that grittiness to it like most mac and cheeses that call for regular milk. http://jennsfoodjourney.blogspot.com/2011/10/stove-top-chorizo-mac-cheese.html
ReplyDeleteMy mom sometimes used eggs in her mac and cheese and I thought it made it more like a cheese and egg custard. The creamy consistency wasn't there.One of the cheeses you used may have been one that didn't melt well. I add lots of creamy sauce because the noodles absorb quite a bit of it. The breadcrumbs on top are a nice touch. Your version looks delicious, Larry.
ReplyDeleteI haven't made too many homemade versions but wouldn't turn down a plate full of this cheesy goodness. I don't know about the egg thing - I would have to research. Maybe the two cheese didn't blend - but it still looks good.
ReplyDeleteShannon made M&C for the boys while my dearly beloved was in the hospital. She must have used mozzarella and cheddar, since that's what I had on hand. I suspect she did it on the stove, to accomodate picky brothers who don't want a crispy top.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you and Madison are eating well while you're all alone!
Yep, you have to have the Velveeta for that classic "gooeyness", I agree. But that beercase soup has me intrigued, I want to find out more about that the next time we talk. Beer and cheese definitely go together.
ReplyDeleteI love mac and cheese!! The next best part is frying up the leftovers!!
ReplyDelete