Many may turn to those store bought pre-mixes for their mac and cheese fix but these just can’t beat the home baked recipes. It may be more time-consuming to prepare it from scratch but a well-prepared dish will make it worth your while. This recipe serves four.
INGREDIENTS
200g elbow macaroni
For the topping
60g Grana Padano
cheese*, grated
100g breadcrumbs
1 tbsp chives
60g butter, softened
For the cheese sauce
120g butter
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
35g flour
250ml water
250ml milk
125g gouda cheese*, grated
75g Grana Padano cheese*, grated
75g cream cheese
3 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
For the garnish
1 tbsp Grana Padano cheese*, grated
1 tbsp chives, chopped
DIRECTIONS
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, add the macaroni and cook until al dente, about 7min. Strain, rinse under cold water and set aside.
- For the topping, mix the Grana Padano with the breadcrumbs and chives. Mix in the butter and set aside.
- For the sauce, melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. When it starts to bubble, add the garlic. Cook for about 1min or until you can smell the garlic.
- Slowly whisk in the fl our and cook for 3-5min, constantly stirring the thick mixture.
- Add the water, whisking to prevent lumps from forming. Add the milk and whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Turn the heat to low and add the gouda, Grana Padano and cream cheeses. Stir with a wooden spoon, as the sauce will be very thick. When the cheeses start to melt, whisk until the mixture is smooth.
- Mix the cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce, season with salt and pepper, and pour into a baking dish.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the macaroni and cheese and bake for 1-2min at 180 deg C, or until the crust is golden-brown.
- Garnish with more Grana Padano cheese and chives.
*Available at Fairprice Finest and Jasons Marketplace. The Fairprice Finest Triple One Somerset branch is located at 111 Somerset Road , #01-04/04A/05 to 09, Singapore 238164; go to the Fairprice website for more store locations. Jasons Marketplace is located at 252 North Bridge Road, 179103, tel: 6336 2676.
Jason Chong is the head chef of Overeasy, a bar diner located at 1 Fullerton Road, #01-06, One Fullerton, Singapore 049213, tel: 6423 0701. Closed on Sundays, Overeasy’s lunch hours start from 11.30am to 2.30pm on Mondays to Fridays; the dinner and bar are open 5pm to 1am on weekdays, 5pm to 4am on weekends.
This article was originally published in SimplyHer June 2011.
