This is How to Make the Most Delicious Mac and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese, also called Mac and Cheese, is popular comfort food. A warm bowl of this delicious dish has the potential to make you feel better when you are having a bad day. A recipe that started off with just three ingredients layered together can now be prepared with a variety of ingredients to deliver exquisite taste. Below is one such Gourmet Mac and Cheese recipe.

Baked Mac and Cheese Recipe Step by Step

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound or 4 cups of elbow macaroni
• 2 cups of button or cremini mushrooms (Sliced / quartered)
• 8 slices of bacon (cut to bite-size pieces)
• 1/4 cup or 3 tablespoons all purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup or 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (plus some more for buttering the pan)
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 big yellow onions (thinly sliced)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon dried mustard powder
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs (Japanese bread crumbs)
• Salt: according to taste

Four types of Cheese

• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Fontina cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese
• 1/2 cup Gruyere Cheese

Preparation:

1. Toss all the grated cheeses together in a bowl and set aside.
2. Place a large pot of lightly salted water on a stove. When the water begins to boil, drop in the macaroni and cook until the desired doneness. Then drain and set aside.
3. While the macaroni cooks, preheat the oven to 220C degrees. Drizzle the mushrooms with olive oil, and then sprinkle on them some salt and pepper. Roast the mushrooms in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, or till golden brown.
4. Next, fry the bacon until it has a chewy texture, but not long enough for it to turn crispy. When done, chop them up into bite-size bits, and keep them aside. The onions can be caramelized in the same bacon grease and set aside as well.

For the sauce: 

1. Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over a medium flame, and slowly whisk in the flour until smooth and bubbly. Then whisk in the milk in a thin stream.
2. Once the milk is whisked in, add the garlic powder, ground cayenne pepper, dried mustard powder, paprika, and salt according to taste. Keep whisking it constantly till it comes to a boil. Let it simmer for about another 3 minutes with the heat reduced, and then take it off the stove.
3. Add about 2 cups of the grated cheese to it and stir until smooth. Pour this cheese sauce into the macaroni utensil, and mix them together. Splash in a little milk as required for thinning.
4. Preheat the oven to 180C degrees. Butter a baking pan. Layer the bottom of the pan with half of the macaroni mixture, followed by a portion of the caramelized onions.
5. Cover the onions with a layer of bacon, followed by a portion of the mushrooms.
6. Next, sprinkle a generous amount of the remaining cheese mix on the roasted mushrooms. Repeat the layers, ending with the macaroni mixture.
7. To top it off, cover the macaroni mixture with the rest of the grated cheese and then a cup of Japanese Panko bread crumbs.
8. Bake for 30 minutes or till the bread crumbs are lightly browned.

Preparation time: 1 Hour

Serves: 6 – 8

The Secret History of Mac and Cheese

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