Guinness Mac N Cheese

Malzemeler

One pound box of mini penne or pasta or your choice cooked al dente

4 tablespoons of butter

4 tablespoons of flour

3 1/2 cups of whole milk

tiniest pinch of nutmeg

two tablespoons of creme fraiche (you can leave this out if you don't have any or can't find)

1 cup shredded smoked cheddar cheese

3 cups of sharp cheddar cheese (white or yellow)

1/2 cup Guinness or other stout beer (warmed in saucepan)

salt and white pepper to taste

2 tablespoons of butter

three sprigs of time

one garlic clove (smashed and chopped finely)

one cup of panko bread crumbs

Yöntemler

Heat milk in a saucepan until it is steaming - don't boil - so use a low flame. In another large saucepan, melt butter. Add flour to melted butter and whisk together over medium heat cooking for about two - three minutes. You want to be able to smell a sort of nuttiness to it, cooking out the raw flour taste - and this is called a roux.

To the roux, SLOWLY pour in the hot milk whisking constantly to incorporate. Add your pinch of ground nutmeg. Continue cooking this until you see a few bubbles pop up and it is thickened.

Remove the bechamel from the heat and whisk in the creme fraiche first. Next whisk in both cheeses until fully incorporated. Last whisk in the warmed Guinness. Salt and pepper the sauce to taste.

Preheat your oven to 400 and grease a baking dish, a pretty big one. Add your al dente noddles to the dish and pour the cheese sauce over, careful not to spill all over and waste some of that glorious sauce. Toss together and spread across the pan.

In a saute pan melt the butter over medium heat, and add the garlic and thyme and cook for a minute, just until fragrant. Add the breadcrumbs and toast ever so slighty, combining with the garlic and thyme. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Pull the thyme twigs out.

Top the mac n cheese with the breadcrumb mixture and bake in the oven until bubbly and brown. If you assemble ahead of time and refrigerate, it will take longer to bake, if you assemble and throw right in oven already hot, it will not take that long, so pay attention to the the dish in the oven.

Notlar

Don't boil the sauce once you have added the cheese. In the recipe instructions I say to remove from heat before adding the cheese. I am not joking. You will break the sauce and it will curdle if you boil it. This goes for all cheese sauces in general. Add your cheese last after the bechamel has fully thickened OFF HEAT.

Warm the guinness before adding to the cheese sauce. Guinness is the last addition in this recipe and you should add it warm.

Use a good pasta shape with a center. I use mini penne because it feels more grown up than elbow, but you can totally use elbow. Just make sure to pick a noodle with a center to soak up all the cheese sauce.

Cook your noodles al dente. This means firm, with a bite to them. You are going to fold them into a creamy sauce and then bake them again. Firm noodles will hold up to the heavy sauce and they will continue to cook absorbing the creamy cheese sauce.