"UPSCALE" Mac n Cheese -any ideas?
I want to do something with mac n cheese to take it upscale.But, I want to keep it mac n cheese, no meat, no veggies, no other weird ingredients. Any suggestions?
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28 Comments:
Martha Stewart, Ina Garten and Alton Brown all have great recipes.
PerkyMac at 1:37PM on 12/17/08
i would use a variety of cheeses...gruyere, blue, asiago, cheddar, fontina?
maybe add some truffle oil?
make your own pasta for it?
gastronomeg at 1:38PM on 12/17/08
The best recipe ever is based on Sweetie Pie's
**This is not the original recipe, which you can google, it is my adaption of it with ingredients added and some removed and others changed.
People will BEG you for this recipe. I never serve it without being begged.
Enjoy!
1 pound elbow macaroni pasta (I use small shells or cavatappi)
1 cup whole milk
Two 12-ounce cans evaporated milk
3 eggs
4 tbsp butter melted
1/2 pound colby-jack cheese, shredded
1/2 pound gruyere cheese, shredded
1/2 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 pound Velveeta shreds cheese or cut into small chunks
seasoned salt, to taste
white pepper (if you care to black if you like)
1/2 teaspoon yellow ground mustard powder
a few grates of nutmeg
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and transfer the pasta to a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the whole milk, evaporated milk and eggs.Whisk until thoroughly combined. Season with salt, pepper, mustard and nutmeg.
Next add colby-jack, gruyere,sharp cheddar and Velveeta cheeses to the milk egg mixture. Last add the melted butter (make sure it is not hot)
Pour the milk/egg/cheese mixture over the drained pasta.
Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.
Serves 8.
JerzeeTomato at 1:55PM on 12/17/08
Use interesting shaped pasta, mix goat cheese and a dab of pesto into your cheese sauce base, serve individual portions in ramekins or mini-Le Cruesets set on saucers with a cloth or other underliner so the vessel doesn't slide around.
Sometimes it's less about the ingredients and more about the presentation that elevates a dish from mundane to "upscale."
wookie at 2:01PM on 12/17/08
Well, hard to give advice as not sure what you mean by "no other weird ingredients" -- does this mean you want it to be strictly macaroni and cheese without anything else? If so, the only way to make it more "upscale" would be to use very high-end gourmet cheeses. Which ones depends on your taste (or that of the people you're serving).
If you just mean that you don't want to add anything hugely distracting from the mac'n'cheesiness of the dish (e.g., peas, chunks of ham, etc.), but don't mind one or two unique ingredients to give it a bit of a twist, then I'd recommend dusting the top, sparingly, with shaved truffle. It is sublime. Or add a splash of sherry or white wine or cognac to the bechamel (to give it a bit of a raclette or fondue quality).
Sweat the the shallots or onions with some minced pancetta for the bechamel.
LoCo at 2:03PM on 12/17/08
Martha Stewart recipe:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/12/martha-stewart-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe.html
kyle25 at 2:04PM on 12/17/08
I agree with @LoCo, I thought of the shaved truffles (coming into truffle season!!!), but figured the OP might consider it a "weird" ingredient.
wookie at 2:20PM on 12/17/08
I second Ina Garten's recipe. aka Crack N Cheese. It's so good. Gruyere and Cheddar and some lovely buttery bread crumbs on top.
katarina_santiago at 2:32PM on 12/17/08
I don't know if this is considered very upscale, but in addition to using different cheeses (gruyere is really nice), I use bacon.
Cook the chopped bacon, then remove. Keep the bacon drippings, and make the roux out of that. (much tastier than butter for the roux).
I've gotten tons of rave reviews on it!
jumpyfroggy at 3:10PM on 12/17/08
There was a contest several months ago for upscale mac 'n' cheese on www.gumbopages.com. Some of the entries were incredible. You'll probably have to search the site.
1stmakearoux at 3:38PM on 12/17/08
I agree with Perky-- Ina, Martha and Alton all have terrific recipes. If this is not for a potluck, maybe make individual servings in ramekins or oven safe soup crocks for that extra special touch. Use quality ingredients and most of all, enjoy yourself while you're making it, that's one thing that seems to shine through in the end.
dhorst at 3:52PM on 12/17/08
try some roasted garlic or hot peppers. or just tell everyone it's fancy and upscale and watch them "taste" the difference.
jrmanor at 5:36PM on 12/17/08
@dmcavanagh~let us know what you end up making and how it turned out. As I said in another post, it kills me not to know what was made and how it turned out. Thanks!
dhorst at 10:26PM on 12/17/08
Use good cheese, and a variety of flavors/textures, i.e., some softer cheeses that melt well, some hard cheeses that have a stronger, more complex flavor. Season well - use nutmeg, white pepper, allspice. Use shells so that they can hold more of the cheese sauce. And top it off with parmesan-panko. I just posted my recipe last week - how apropos.
charm city cupcake at 11:48PM on 12/17/08
Mac is Mac and the best is to just keep it soupy, because the liquid absorbs into the pasta when baking, get creative with the cheeses (all types you like, the more the merrier), but as a rule....I always make sure that sharp cheddar and Velveeta is always in it. But the key is to before throwing it in to the oven is to have the sauce as soupy as possible, trust me, it comes out so cheesy and moist rather dry. I start off with a bechamel and use cream or half and half, stirring it till it is a blond color and it is thickened, then turn the heat to low and add the cheese stirring and if it gets thick I add more cream along with S & P, garlic powder, nutmeg and a few drops of tabasco. Stir all the time till all the cheese melts, then stir in the pasta (I like penne) mix all together and pop it into a greased casserole dish, let stand. Meanwhile take breadcrumbs (any kind), add olive oil parmesan cheese, and paprika mix that till it is moist, toss that on to it and then throw it into a 350 degree F oven for about 45 minutes. But I must say again, make sure that before you put it in the oven the mac is soupy.
pjracz10 at 3:36AM on 12/18/08
I try to make it more upscale by making it a Blue Cheese/Gorgonzola Mac & Cheese. I also fancy the individual presentation. I've also made the cheese sauce with goat cheese and gruyere.
I make this pink mac & cheese version where I add chopped tomatoes and basil to the basic bechamel cheese sauce. It tastes like it came from a restaurant...
I know you do not want veggies, but I make a butternut squash version that can also be made with pumpkin. I just drain the pumpkin or squash if you are steaming it. It's gotten super rave reviews and it looks and tastes just like mac & cheese, just with added nutrition.
Good luck...
Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking
MadelynRodriguez at 10:08AM on 12/18/08
@ EVERYBODY-Thanks for all the help, I'm searching and comparing and will try out some suggestions this weekend. I'll give a report.
dmcavanagh at 10:11AM on 12/18/08
Has anyone ever tried smoked cheeses? I may go in that direction.
dmcavanagh at 12:45PM on 12/18/08
I haven't tried one yet, but it sounds good. I have a brick of Cabot Chipoltle Cheddar in the fridge that I'm planning on using in mac and cheese over the weekend.
dhorst at 1:04PM on 12/18/08
What defines "upscale?"
ccbweb at 1:35PM on 12/18/08
One of the best Macs I ever tasted was made with caramelized onions...Lots of them. Everyone agreed it was one of the best they'd ever eaten at home or in a restaurant.
bessfour at 2:46PM on 12/18/08
Once we used smoked gruyere and it made it just a tiny bit foot smelly. If you like strong cheese it works but we liked it better w/ regular top quality gruyere.
katarina_santiago at 2:51PM on 12/18/08
How gouda is smoked gouda in mac and cheese?
nightowl at 2:54PM on 12/18/08
I would go with the cheese suggestions but you said no meat...Would you be open to Seafood?
Adding crab, lobster, or chopped shrimp (or adding two) could be a good way to step it up a notch. I love Crab and Lobster added to Mac and Cheese. SOOO good.
Butrflygirly at 2:57PM on 12/18/08
You could try Paula Deen's recipe. Thought it might kill you. I've never actually made it...so I don't know if it's actually good or not.
wunami at 3:02PM on 12/18/08
Smoked mozzerella.
pjracz10 at 4:13PM on 12/18/08
@katarina-santiago Thanks for that heads up, I just bought some smoked gruyere, i'll have to go easy on that or leave it out. Don't like stinky feet.
dmcavanagh at 4:25PM on 12/18/08
Tiny macaroni noodles, truffle oil, Gruyere and Fontina cheeses, panko bread crumbs and scallion garnish covered with panko breadcrumbs. This is a speciality of a restaurant in Westchester, NY called Umami (after the "fifith taste") http://www.umamicafe.com/
hmcnally at 11:12AM on 12/21/08