Dawn and I have been on a cheese rampage as of late. It all started with Dawn’s Salt adventure. We gorged ourselves on cheese till we were blue in the face. You would think after stuffing ourselves full of 3 different cheeses to the point where it hurt to breathe we would avoid the cause. But, it’s actually had exactly the opposite effect. We’ve found ourselves desiring more and more cheese over the past few weeks. This past Sunday I wanted to make dinner, and I wanted to use a recipe from Bobby Flay’s Throwdown cookbook. His Thowdown with Delilah Winder over Macaroni & Cheese hit the spot.
Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1-inch thick piece pancetta, cut into small dice (I used stripples)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 to 7 cups whole milk, heated
• 4 large egg yolks, lightly whisked
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups freshly grated Asiago cheese, plus more for the top
• 1 1/2 cups Irish white Cheddar, plus more for the top
• 1 1/2 cups Mountain Valley Cheddar, plus more for the top
• 1 cup grated Fontina cheese, plus more for the top
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for the top
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked just under al dente
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 3 quart baking dish and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until golden brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.
Add the garlic to the pan and cook until lightly golden brown. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in 6 cups of the hot milk, increase the heat to high and cook, whisking constantly until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the eggs until incorporated and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the thyme, cayenne, and all of the cheese until completely melted, season with salt and pepper. If the mixture appears too thick, add some of the remaining milk 1/4 cup at a time.
Place the cooked macaroni in a large bowl, add the cheese sauce, reserved pancetta and parsley and stir until combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Combine together additional Asiago, Cheddars, Fontina, and Parmesan in a bowl and sprinkle evenly over the top of the macaroni. Bake in the oven until heated through and the top is lightly golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving.
Follow-Up
Let me assure you of this, this is without a doubt the best macaroni & cheese I’ve ever had (sorry mom, but Bobby’s got you beat on this one). It’s rich and heavy. Your taste buds will scream for seconds, but your stomach will holler for you to put your fork down! Don’t plan to do any athletic activities after dinner, just find a good movie or football game and curl up on the couch while your stomach goes to work. The majority of us will end up in a food coma, but make no mistake, it will be the best food coma you have all year.
This blog posted whilst lying on the floor in a food coma ;)
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