"Heart Attack" Mac & Cheese

As fall has arrived with very chilly evening temps, yesterday seemed like a good day to fire up a batch of my heart attack mac.  This recipe is not for the faint hearted from a prep time perspective... that said, it is well worth all of the trouble.  Ohhh, this is every so cheesy and then some.

“Heart attack” Mac & Cheese (serves 8 )

5 T butter / softened

½ pound + of porcini mushrooms, or chanterelles or a blend of both.

Sea salt to taste

1 pound pasta of your choice cooked,, drained and lightly tossed with olive oil

8 oz. sharp white cheddar (grated)

8 oz. sharp yellow cheddar (grated)

8 oz.  Parmesan – Reggiano or Asiago (grated) and divided into 2 portions

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon of dry mustard

½ teaspoon of Mae Ploy Sweet Hot Chili Sauce (can substitute Sriracha Hot Chile Sauce)

1/ 2 cup of fresh dried bread crumbs (yesterday I did a blend of toasted pinenuts and breadcrumbs)

4 cups pepper infused Béchamel sauce (recipe below, can be made ahead)

To infuse the milk for Bechamel sauce

1 - 2 dried pasilla pepper

4 cups of evap or milk of your choice

 2 -3 cloves of fresh garlic

3 bay leaves

Place ingredients in a small sauce pan, turn on med high

Bring to ALMOST boil (think steaming) but not quite (it will bubble around the edges) …. turn to low heat and simmer for an hour and then turn off (the longer it infuses the better)

Can also be done ahead of time, but do bring to room temp for the sauce

Strain when done - set aside passilla peppers for adding into the finished sauce product if desired.

Bechamel Sauce Prep

6 tablespoons of butter

2 – 3 cloves of minced garlic

1/3 cup of flour (I used spelt/ and sifted it)

4 cups of infused milk (recipe called for whole but can be tweaked)
If you do not infuse the milk, bring to room temp before making the sauce
½ teaspoon of sea salt

In a heavy medium sized sauce pan, melt the butter over low heat.  Add the garlic in and cook 1 – 2 minutes taking care to not brown.   Whisk in the flour.  Cook, whisking often, taking care to not let the flour get brown, this takes about 4 – 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in hot milk.  Whisk in the salt. Return the saucepan to medium heat and bring to a low simmer.  Cook, stirring constantly until the sauce has thickened; this should take at least 10 minutes.   There should be no lumps, but if there are, using a strainer, push the sauce through it removing all lumps. **This sauce can be used warm or cooled.  If cooling, cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface and refrigerate for up to 1 day.  Return to room temperature before using.

Slice mushrooms, sauté lightly in 1 – 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If more moisture is needed, splash a bit of white wine when cooking.  Add to the finished Bechamel sauce. Stir cheeses into the completed Béchamel sauce and reserve 1 cup of Parmesan blend for later use. Add in the mustard and hot chile sauce; gently fold in the chantrelle and poblano pepper(s).  Pour the sauce over the pasta in the baking dish. **Note – if desired you can tightly cover at this point, and refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.   Place pasta in a 3 quart baking dish, lightly coated with olive oil (or olive oil spray).   Pour over the Bechamel/cheese sauce and mix together well.

In a small bowl blend together the bread crumbs and remaining cup of Parmesan blend cheeses.  Sprinkle over the pasta and sauce.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes (if the mac/cheese has been refrigerated cook for approximately 45 minutes). 

Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.   Serve hot…. This is great with a spinach salad or spicy coleslaw.

Additional notes***this dish can be frozen in tightly wrapped plastic packages and kept up to one month in the freezer and is also great for portioning out for "brown bag" lunches.

Last but not least - as Julia would say!! BON Appetit!