Daily Eats - Food Lovers Unite!

Mac & Cheese - - - Then and Now

Some comfort foods never go out of style, and macaroni and cheese is one of these. I am personally a fan of mac & cheese. In these recessionary times this popular entrée is all the more desirable. It can be said that Mac & Cheese is a recession specialty. Modern renditions can still capture the homey goodness while featuring up-to-the-minute interpretations from American chefs, who have increased menu listings of macaroni and cheese an average of 20 percent since 2004, according to Mintel Menu Insights.

Home cooks can update this comfort food with a variety of Wisconsin cheeses and chef recipes, each offering a special spin on this classic.

• Chef Gregg Wangard from Marisol Restaurant in Pismo Beach, Calif. combines Wisconsin Aged Cheddar and Asiago cheeses for a flavorful approach to his traditional macaroni and cheese recipe.

MACARONI & CHEESE WITH WISCONSIN AGED CHEDDAR AND ASIAGO
Number of Servings: 8

Ingredients:
1 pound elbow macaroni
Butter
Kosher salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
2 cups (8 ounces) Wisconsin Aged Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups (8 ounces) Wisconsin Asiago cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Cooking Directions: Preheat oven to 375°F. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add macaroni; bring back to boil and cook 5 minutes. Drain, rinsing with cold water.

Butter an 8 x 11-inch baking dish. Spread 1/3 of the macaroni over the bottom. Season with salt and pepper. Combine cheeses in a bowl and sprinkle 1/3 of the cheeses over the macaroni. Continue with 2 additional layers of macaroni and cheeses. Combine milk and cream and slowly pour over macaroni. Cover tightly with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until top browns a bit, 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes. Serve hot.

More cheese recipes.

Labels: America's Dairyland, mac and cheese, macaroni and cheese with wisconsin aged cheddar and asiago, recession special

posted by Tery Spataro @ 9:06 AM