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 Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 11:20 am
This was a pretty simple idea, and it came out amazing! I was so happy with the final result.
My history with mac and cheese...
Well, I grew up on the classic 'blue box' mac 'n cheese, with the occasional macesque casserole that my mother would invent. About three months ago, I wanted to go a step beyond the box and make the mac from scratch. After doing a lot of searching for the best cheeses, noodles, and sauce ingredients, I made my first version of my homemade mac n' cheese. It was horrible!! And bland. gonk
So, I decided to give it another go, but actually used my knowledge of flavor combinations to create the second version.
.:Table of Contents:.
Intro
Ingredients
Directions
FAQ
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 11:27 am
Ingredients
1/4 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Milk (for sauce consistency)
2 tablespoons butter
Flour (as thickening agent)
1/2 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (void if you don't like spice)
3 cloves garlic
4 cups noodles (Fusilli, Penne, or Elbow, but most any kind will work)
Tools
medium skillet/sauce pan
medium-large pot
collander
medium baking pan (large enough to hold the noodles and sauce)
whisk
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 11:28 am
Directions
1. Fill the medium-large pot halfway with water, and prepare for boiling. While that is heating up, begin preparing your sauce by adding the butter to the medium sauce pan, allowing it to melt, and add your finely minced garlic to the pan. All the garlic to cook until aromatic and soft, and add about 1 cup of milk, while turning down the heat.
2. Make sure to keep an eye on your water. As soon as it starts boiling, add a noticable amount of salt to the water (about a tablespoon), and add your noodles. In the meantime, you can continue working on your sauce.
3. Once the milk becomes warm in the pan, add 1/4 cup of flour to the pan and stir with a whisk to reduce flour clumps. Add the pepper flakes and chile powder. Allow the mixture to cook for about a minute, and then add the ricotta cheese. Now, this is where you need to use your own discretion. If the sauce is thin and runny, add flour slowly and mix using the whisk until it seems thick enough to hold your noodles together. If the sauce seems too thick, then add milk and combine by the same means.
4. Preheat oven to 400
5. Drain noodles once al dente in collander, and add to baking pan. Add your sauce to the mixture, and mix so that all noodles are covered. Cover teh top of the mac and cheese with your cheddar cheese.
6. Cook about 5 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling along the edges of the pan.
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 11:29 am
FAQ
All questions asked in this thread will be posted here for your convenience!
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Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 5:05 am
MMMMmm..sounds tasty...I'll try making this!!!
What would be something good that would go with this? eek
Breadsticks perhaps???
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Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 10:45 am
Maybe... But I think that it might be too heavy to add bread with it. I think that if you made a nice light salad with a vinegarette, that would help to balance out the meal. Or you could do some nice mixed steamed vegetables, like broccoli and carrots, if you prefer.
Let me know how it goes!
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