Truffled mac & cheese

This piece of Americana gets a sophisticated upgrade with the addition of truffles. Recipe is courtesy of my friends at Truffle Shuffle. You can watch the entire cooking class on their web site. Mac & cheese may be kids food, but save this one for yourself!


serves: 8        difficulty: medium      prep time: 1 hr


Ingredients

  •  2.5oz Butter
  •  1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup AP flour   
  • 1 pint cream   
  • 1 pint whole milk 
  • 1 bay leaf  
  • 9 oz elbow macaroni 
  • 7oz Cowgirl Creamery Wagon Wheel cheese         
  • 5oz sharp cheddar     
  • 5oz mozzarella     
  • 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme 
  • Balinese truffle salt
  • 1 black truffle

Preparation

Since I ordered a kit for this recipe from Truffle Shuffle, I had a perfectly ordered mis-en-place.

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Preheat oven to 350F. Fill 3qt pot with water, top with lid, and bring to the boil.

Grate all of the cheese.

Mince the garlic.

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Heat the butter in the 2qt saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook the minced garlic in the butter with a pinch of Balinese Truffle Salt until soft.

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To make the roux, add the flour to the pot and cook over medium-low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon for about 3-5 minutes.  The mixture should have dark beige color.

Add 1c of milk to the pot and turn the heat up to medium-high. Stir constantly until at a boil. You want the mixture to be smooth and homogenous. Add the rest of the milk and all the cream and bring back to the boil again. Keep whisking and add the bay leaf. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Once finished, take the pot off the heat, remove the bay leaf from the sauce and add the cheese, reserving 1 cup for later. Whisk until all cheese is melted.

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Now, it’s time to cook the pasta. Lightly season the large pot of boiling water with salt, add the macaroni, and cook for 5 minutes. Strain the cooked pasta and add it back to the large pot. Add all of the cheese sauce to the pasta and stir to combine. Season with Balinese truffle salt.

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Chop half of the black truffle and add to the pasta and cheese sauce mix; stir until combined.

Heat the broiler to high and transfer the mixture to the pyrex container or cast iron skillet.

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Top the mac n cheese with the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese.

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place under the broiler and cook for 2-5 minutes or until brown and bubbly on top.

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Toast the panko in a small saute pan on top of the stove until lightly browned and toasty. When the mac n cheese is finished, remove from the oven and top with the toasted panko and  remaining black truffle.

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Here I used it as a side dish to fried chicken.

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