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Ridiculously Good Mac 'N Cheese
About 2 weeks ago, I posted a picture of some delicious Mac 'N Cheese that our friends the Roberts made for us, and verily extolled its virtues- with no recipe. Well one Robert has been kind enough to share his recipe, which is adapted from Wish restaurant in Miami (which, by the way, has a gorgeous courtyard with a fountain- and delicious cocktails in the tiny rooftop bar- definitely worth a splurge if you're in South Beach.)
Thanks Robert! You can cook for me anytime. Although I was happier before I knew that you cooked us something with a whole quart of heavy cream. In my mind I was pretending you had magically concocted the masterpiece using non-fat milk and whole grain noodles. Ha!
Wish Macaroni and CheeseThanks Robert! You can cook for me anytime. Although I was happier before I knew that you cooked us something with a whole quart of heavy cream. In my mind I was pretending you had magically concocted the masterpiece using non-fat milk and whole grain noodles. Ha!
Ingredients:
- 10 tablespoons butter (plus extra for the baking dish)
- 1 1/2 cups small-diced pancetta
- 1/2 dry baguette
- 1 lb rotelle pasta
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
- 2 1/2 cups small-diced Fontina cheese, cold
- kosher salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- Preheat oven to 375°; lightly butter a 13x9 inch baking dish (or 6 individual baking dishes).
- Place the pancetta on a baking sheet; bake about 18 minutes or until just crisp; drain off the fat and reserve the pancetta.
- Crush the baguette into semifine crumbs (there should be about 1 cup; you may use a food processor). *note: Robert made pretty big pieces of bread (1/2 in squares?) and it was even better, I think, than if you made smaller crumbs.*
- In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt the 10 tablespoons of butter and toast the crumbs, tossing, 8-10 minutes or until golden brown; set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat; cook the pasta until al dente (8-10 minutes); drain and place in a large mixing bowl.
- In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the heavy cream to a boil; decrease heat to medium and simmer until reduced by a third; it will still be pourable and thin.
- Slowly whisk in 1 ¼ cups of the Parm-Regg cheese and all the pancetta; continue reducing until thick.
- Add the cream mixture and the fontina to the macaroni in the bowl; toss quickly to mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared dish; top with breadcrumbs and remaining ¼ cup Parm-Regg.
- Bake 15-20 minutes (12-15 minutes for the small dishes), until bubbling and golden.
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