The Ultimate Macaroni Cheese!
Over a year ago
1,924 views
Ingredients
- 250g Grated Cheddar Cheese
- 100g grated Parmesan cheese
- 100g grated gruyere cheese
- 100g chesnut mushrooms cut into thin slices
- 6 rashers bacon
- 4 tbsp butter or margarine
- 300g macaroni pasta
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- salt and pepper to taste
- 100g breadcrumbs
- ¾ pint semi-skimmed milk
Accompaniment
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Description
My girlfriend describes this as the ultimate comfort food. Out of all the dishes I've cooked her, this is her favourite. I hope you enjoy it too!
Method
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1
1.put a large saucepan of salted water onto boil.
2.whilst the water is boiling, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium saucepan on a low heat.
3.add one tablespoon of flour, take off the heat and vigorously stir until it forms a paste.
4.place back on the heat and add another tablespoon of butter to the pan, stirring it until it is melted.
5.repeat until all the flour and butter is worked into the mixture. Be sure to stir it vigorously and continuously so no lumps form.
6.slowly incorporate the milk into the pan, two splashes at a time, occasionally taking off the heat, stirring and placing back on the heat again.
7.when you have a smooth paste, add half the amount of the grated cheese (so 125g), all the parmesan and all the gryuere, stirring vigorously to form a smooth cheese sauce.
8.when the water in the other saucepan reaches boiling temperature, tip in the macaroni and stir occasionally to be sure that none of the pasta sticks to the bottom of the pan.
9.put the grill on a medium heat and grill the bacon rashers until they're crisp and golden. Then remove the bacon from the grill and cut into thin strips.
10. As soon as the bacon is finished grilling, preheat the oven at 190 degrees celcius.
11.taste the sauce and season to taste
12.when the pasta is cooked (it should be al dente after 10 minutes), drain and place in a large glass baking tray.
13.add the grilled bacon strips.
14.Add the cheese sauce and toss until all the pasta and bacon is well coated in the sauce and the bacon is well distributed through the pasta.
15.place mushrooms slices ontop of the pasta in an even layer
16.add the rest of the grated cheddar cheese ontop, again making sure you have an even layer.
17.pour a layer of breadcrumbs ontop.
18.bake in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes
19.place under a medium grill for a final 5 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling
20.Serve!
Chef's Tips
The main source of error with this recipe is when making the sauce. If you've never done it before it can be quite easy for it to go lumpy. The easiest way to combat that is to just keep an eye on it, stir it constantly, don't add too much milk at once and NEVER add any extra flour to the sauce once you've added the milk to the saucepan.
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