Best ever mac and cheese
My best ever mac and cheese, with three delicious types of cheese and a fragrant garlic and rosemary pangrattato for a contrasting crunch!
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
Garlic rosemary pangrattato
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3-4 garlic cloves unpeeled, whole but lightly smashed
- Rosemary sprig
- 75 g Panko breadcrumbs
Mac and cheese
- 500 g elbow macaroni pasta
- 75 g unsalted butter
- 75 g flour
- 450 ml whole milk
- 300 ml thickened cream
- Fresh nutmeg
- ½ tbsp wholegrain or Dijon mustard
- 150 g cheddar grated
- 150 g Red Leicester grated
- 150 g Edam grated
Instructions
Garlic rosemary pangrattato
- To a small frying pan combine the olive oil, garlic and rosemary.
- Place over a low heat and gently infuse the olive oil with the garlic and rosemary - 5 minutes. When the garlic is starting to sizzle and it smells fragrant, remove the garlic and rosemary then add the panko breadcrumbs and stir well to coat in the olive oil.
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
Mac and cheese
- Preheat the oven to 180c (160c fan forced/350f).
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil, and cook the pasta for 3 minutes less than the packet instructions.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce - heat the butter in a large, oven-safe pan and once melted whisk in the flour to form a roux.
- Allow this to cook for a couple of minutes, then add the milk (cold is fine). First add enough milk to form a smooth but thick sauce, then you can add the remaining milk in one go - make sure to stir/whisk constantly.
- Once the milk is incorporated, add the cream. Whisk continuously over a low heat until thickened to the consistency of thickened cream - you still want it to be relatively loose - coating the back of a spoon lightly.
- Remove from the heat and grate in a pinch of fresh nutmeg, add the mustard and season generously with salt.
- Stir through the grated cheeses, then add the cooked pasta and some pasta water to loosen the sauce and help melt the cheese.
- Top with the pangrattato mixture.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then switch to the grill for 2-3 minutes until the pangrattato is golden and the edges are bubbling.
It's important not to over-thicken the cream mixture as it will continue to thicken when you cook it in the oven.
Notes
PS you can save any extra pangrattato for leftovers - simply toast in a dry pan and serve alongside any leftover mac and cheese to ensure a proper crunch!
