Ah, mac and cheese, a staple of my childhood. And maybe yours too, who knows? I’m even 90% sure of it, am I wrong?
But as time went by I ended up abandoning this wonderful recipe in favour of all the others I had to discover. I even ended up pairing it with my daily pasta from college, and let’s face it, there was really nothing exciting about it.
After many culinary peregrinations around the globe, it was time to go back to basics and revisit some tasty and easy-to-cook mac and cheese.
Even though sometimes when we’re short of time we’re tempted to take the easy way out and end up with a plate of Gruyere pasta and that’s a shame. So to start with, replace the Gruyere with one or more firm cheeses. I opted for a Comté/Parmesan duo, but nothing prevents you from using Edam, Mimolette, Cheddar, Gouda and so on. It’s up to you!
Then garnish with a few tomatoes and add some spices. To complete the picture and give it a bit more character, prepare a simple homemade roux. And there you have it, a tasty and creamy mac homemade mac and cheese.
Your mac and cheese is completely transformed. It’s no longer just your everyday pasta dish, but a menu-worthy dish to be shared without any complexes. Melting pasta, soft cheese, and a perfect gratin.
If these photos haven’t already made your mouth water, put on your apron and get to work! Go and impress your family and friends.
My macaroni and cheese
4-6 people – Difficulty: medium
Preparation 20 min – Cooking time 45 min
- 35g of butter
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 fresh bay leaves
- 1/2 litre semi-skimmed milk
- 300g dry macaroni
- 4 tomatoes
- 200 grams of cheese (Cheddar, Parmesan or other)
- A few fresh thyme leaves
- Breadcrumbs
- Nutmeg
Cook the macaroni in boiling water and in the meantime prepare the roux. In a casserole dish: melt the butter and add the flour while stirring to obtain a paste. Then add the minced garlic, stirring constantly, until golden.
Then prepare the sauce by adding the bay leaves to the roux and pouring in the milk a little at a time, whisking to obtain a smooth sauce. Bring the mixture to the boil and then simmer on a low heat. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 220 °C (th.7). Coarsely chop the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the grated cheeses, tomatoes, thyme and nutmeg. Taste and season. If the sauce is too thick, add a little water. Then transfer the pasta and the sauce to a casserole dish. Cover with breadcrumbs. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden and crispy. Serve hot with a green salad.
