Christys Macaroni N Cheese Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place shallots and garlic in a small aluminum foil pouch and drizzle with olive oil. Roast 20 to 30 minutes or until tender. Remove from foil and chop. In a large saute pan, reheat reserved bacon fat over medium heat. Add roasted shallot and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add flour and stir for 1 minute. Whisk in heavy cream and thyme. Reduce by a third. Stir in cheeses until melted, creamy and thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and gently stir in pasta. Place in a 9X13 casserole dish. In a small bowl, mix together diced bacon, bread crumbs, butter and parsley. Top Mac n Cheese with Panko mixture and bake uncovered at same heat until bubbling and lightly browned on top, 20 to 25 minutes.

Steps:

• 1. Boil noodles with a little bit of salt and a couple of shakes of garlic powder. I am not sure how you'd measure the garlic powder, but I sprinkle just enough for the garlic powder to spread out on top of the water in the pan. It's not a lot. Maybe 1/4 tsp?
• 2. While water is heating and noodles are cooking, cut up the blocks of cheese. You will use at least 1 1/2 blocks, but you can add the rest after you mix in the cheese with the noodles.
• 3. Be sure to have the cheese cut up and out of the refrigerator. It melts much better. After the noodles are cooked, drain them quickly and put them back in the pot. Stir in the 1 1/2 blocks of cheese and add in about a 1/4 cup of the Parmesean cheese.
• 4. Cover and leave alone for at least 3-4 minutes. Stir the mac and cheese and cover again if the cheese isn't melted. This is where I would add more cheese if you wanted to. After the cheese is melted, put in about a tablespoon of butter and the mushroom soup. Stir until the butter is melted. The mixture should be pretty sticky and gooey by now. Pour in milk about 1/2 cup at a time until the cheese/mushroom soup mixture is smooth and creamy. Then put in about 1/4 cup more milk. This helps to keep the mac and cheese from getting dry.
• 5. Tips: You can add as much cheese as you want, but too much is going to make the whole thing like eating melted cheese. Watch the salt. The "full-fat" version of the soup has a lot of salt and so does the cheese. You can add more after you finish putting in the milk. Don't put the soup or milk in with the cheese. It will cool off the noodles just enough to keep the cheese from melting. If you have leftovers, put just a little more milk in before you put the mac and cheese in the refrigerator. It keeps everything from drying out. You just want everything to be a little thinner than it was when you put it on the table. That's it. There is no real measurement for the ingredients--people can eyeball it after a few times.
• 6. NOTE-One trick to getting the cheese to melt nicely is to use a heavy pan. One time I tried to make it in my pasta pot (it is a fairly thin pot) and it didn't work out too well because the pasta cooled down too quickly.

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until it's barely al dente. (It should be more al dente than your average pasta: It's going to continue to cook in the oven.) Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat butter in a medium pot over medium heat. (The pot should be large enough to hold all the pasta when cooked.) Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour is foamy and just starting to turn a light golden brown, about 4 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk to avoid clumping. Add garlic, paprika and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly and paying special attention to the edges of the pot to make sure the flour mixture is totally incorporated.
• Add grated cheese and whisk to blend until the cheese is completely melted. (The sauce will seem thick at first and thin out as the cheese melts; it will thicken while it bakes.) Season with salt and pepper and add cooked pasta, stirring to coat well.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil (to catch any cheesy drips).
• Make the optional topping: Combine bread crumbs, melted butter and Parmesan, if using, in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and, using your hands, mix well to ensure the bread crumbs are evenly coated.
• Transfer the macaroni and cheese mixture to a 3-quart or 9 x 13 baking dish and scatter bread crumbs, if using, evenly over the top. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake until macaroni and cheese is bubbling, thickened and creamy, and bread crumbs are evenly golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Spread the baguette chunks over a baking sheet, drizzle with the melted butter and season. Bake for 6 mins until crisp, then set aside.
• Boil the pasta for 2 mins less than stated on the pack, then drain. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the garlic and English mustard powder, cook for 1 min, then stir in the plain flour.
• Cook for 1 min more, then gradually whisk in the milk until you have a lump-free sauce. Simmer for 5 mins, whisking all the time until thickened. Take off the heat, then stir in the cheddar and half the parmesan.
• Stir the pasta and some seasoning into the cheesy sauce. Tip into a large ovenproof dish, or four individual dishes.
• Scatter over the bread and the remaining parmesan, then bake for 20 mins until crisp and golden. Can be frozen before baking - defrost thoroughly before cooking.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use 1 tablespoon butter to grease a 9-inch round or square baking pan.
• In a blender, purée cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Reserve 1/4 cup grated Cheddar for topping. In a large bowl, combine remaining grated Cheddar, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.
• Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Use one tablespoon butter to thickly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Combine grated cheeses and set aside two heaping cups for topping.
• In a large bowl, toss together the cooked pasta, cheeses, cayenne (if using) and salt to taste. Place mixture in prepared pan and evenly pour milk over surface.
• Sprinkle reserved cheese on top; dot with remaining butter.
• Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
• Raise heat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until crusty on top and bottom.