I make various iterations of mac and cheese as post nursery food that L. and I still want to eat. This week I wanted something a bit more sophisticated, for lack of a better word. This is definitely a more high-end version of mac and cheese than one usually makes at home and it was delicious, while retaining all of the comfort food characteristics that one expects of the dish.
1/2 package (8oz) macaroni or elbows
1 shallot, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
8 oz assorted mushrooms, diced
2 Tbsps butter + 2 Tbsps butter
2 Tbsps flour
2 cups milk
1 Tbsp dry white wine
1 1/2 cups shredded or finely diced cheese
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup panko
1 bay leaf
1 tsp + 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
Salt
Put a large pan of salted water on to boil for the pasta.
While the pasta water is heating, put the shallot, garlic, 1 Tbsp of butter, 1 tsp of the thyme and the bay leaf in a large skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly for a minute or so, until the shallot is translucent.
Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring constantly as well, until the mushrooms have released all of their juices and are tender, a few minutes. Add an additional tablespoon of butter and the white wine to the pan and stir until the butter has melted. Salt well.
Add the flour to the pan, lower the heat and stir constantly to create a paste - the flour will absorb all of the pan juices and it will coat the mushrooms. Keep on stirring for a few minutes until it is a pale golden brown.
By this time your pasta water should have come to a boil so tip in your dry pasta and cook it for 2 minutes less than the directions on the box before draining; it will continue to cook when you bake it. Take this opportunity to preheat the oven to 350.
Add the milk to the pan containing the mushrooms and stir, scraping down to remove any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan until the mixture starts to thicken, 3-5 minutes. As soon as the mixture starts to thicken, stir in the mustard and add all of the cheese. For this recipe, I used a mixture of grated mozzarella, Manchego and a creamy cheese from Vermont with black truffle but check out my other mac and cheese post for other cheese combinations. Remove from the heat and set aside; the cheese will continue to melt due to the heat of the sauce.
As soon as you have drained the pasta, whisk the cheese sauce to further combine the cheese with the sauce and add the drained pasta to the skillet. Stir well to combine and remove the bay leaf at this point. Check for seasoning, add more salt if needed. Pour the mixture into a buttered oven safe dish and set aside while you prepare the topping.
Melt the remaining butter in a frying pan. As soon as it has melted, add the thyme and the panko (or breadcrumbs if you prefer) and stir to combine. Keep the heat low and stir constantly: you want golden brown, crispy goodness and it takes just a second of inattention on your part for the panko to burn.
Spread the crispy panko mixture over the top of the pasta dish, sprinkle on the grated Parmesan, Place the dish in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the now bubbling dish from the oven and wait 5-10 minutes before serving it so nobody burns the roof of their mouth. I highly recommend serving this with a green salad, the more bitter the leaves the better.
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