Mac-n-Cheese for the 1%

Let them eat cake!! This mac-n-cheese is made with truffle butter and enough fancy cheeses to make a cow cry. No Aunt Marie's Velveeta blend here, just decadence, and the non-apologetic kind, too. If you're going to consume an inordinate amount of calories, at least make it worth it, I say! And to top off the creamy and rich cheeses, a layer of crunchy panko flavored with parsley and garlic adds extra texture so the 99% can hear you chow down. This dish will be a winner at any holiday table.

Looks like a cheeseboard

Recipe
1 pound pasta of your choice
1/3 pound speck or pancetta (optional)
3 oz truffle butter (6 tablespoons)
1/2 cup flour
1 quart half and half (4 cups)
6 oz young Mahon
7 oz emmentaler
6 oz aged gruyere
8 oz sharp cheddar
3 tablespoons marsala wine
1 medium onion
4 garlic cloves
1/4 bunch parsley
1 1/2 cup panko
EVOO for drizzling



First things first, let's talk cheese. I used four different varieties here, but you are more than welcome to create your own combination, depending on what you like or what's on sale, for that matter. I originally just planned to use sharp cheddar and gruyere, but the cheese lady at Whole Foods bamboozled me into adding emmentaler and Mahón. What can I say, I'm an easy target to up sell. Just make sure to get around 24 ounces of cheese. I said 24-ish because depending on the cheese, it'll add a different consistency to the sauce. One thing to remember is that some cheeses are saltier than others, so it's imperative to add salt after the sauce is done and you've incorporated the noodles. When you grate the cheese, especially those of you who only have a micro-plank (such as myself), you'll end up with a whole lot of cheese. Don't worry, the roux will absorb all of it. And in case you're wondering, you have my permission to sneak a few bites of the cheese while hard at work at the grater :).

Play around with what cheeses to use

Mount Cheese

Now that we've discussed the birds and the bees, let's get started on the roux, the base of our sauce. My boyfriend made a special request for speck (he fell in love with that ham in Italy) to add a little extra oomph to our mac and cheese. I couldn't find it at Whole Foods so went with pancetta instead. You can use bacon also, or for you herbivores out there, leave it out. Chop the pancetta into small dices. Put a large pot on medium heat, when the vessel comes up to temperature, put in the pancetta to brown. It'll take a minute or two before the ham start releasing its fat so make sure to keep stirring so it doesn't burn. When the meaty bits are browned, around 3-4 minutes, fish out the pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Bacon, bacon, bacon... I smell BACON!!

While the pancetta browns, mince the onion. After we vacate the bacon from the pot, turn the heat down to medium low and add in the onions. If you choose not to add meat into the dish, sauté with olive oil. It may look like a lot of onion, but once it caramelizes, it'll reduce to around a quarter of the original amount. Be patient and don't turn up the heat; allow the onion to slowly release its sugars, around 10 minutes. You only need to stir occasionally.

The aroma of onions is amazing

Told you there'll be lots of shrinkage

As the onion caramelize away merrily, finely mince 3-4 large cloves of garlic and the leafy part of the parsley. You can use garlic powder and dried parsley, but they simply can't beat the real thing. Pour the panko into a bowl and mix with the parsley and garlic. I choose panko instead of traditional bread crumb because it's crunchier and airer. Not to mention, I'll sound soooooo sophisticated and worldly when I share my recipe with the others.

Keeps the vampires away

Give it a twirl w/ a fork

When the onions are nice and caramelized, almost the consistency of jam, deglaze the pot with the marsala wine, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any flavor bits. Once again, this is an optional step. I thought the sweetness of the wine would add an extra dimension to the dish. Let the wine reduce for around a minute and add in the truffle butter. When the butter is completely melted, sprinkle in the flour and whisk briskly until a thick paste forms. Keep cooking the flour for around 2-3 more minutes until the paste becomes dark blond. Pour in the half and half (you can substitute milk) and stir til the mixture is completely incorporated. Ladies and gentlemen, we just made ourselves some roux. Continue to reduce (and stir) for five minutes on medium low. 

Whisk it, whisk it good

Almost there

Now, we blend in the cheese. Do it in small batches, wait until the previous batch completely melts into the roux before adding another. When all the cheese has been incorporated, take the pot off the burner. Preheat the oven to 375º. Boil enough water in a separate pot to cook the pasta. I used pipe rigate because the shape looks like it would hold the cheese sauce well. Salt and water and cook the pasta to el dente, around 9 minutes. Drain the pasta well and add to the cheese sauce. Mix in the reserved pancetta and season with salt and pepper. Pour into a large baking dish (I used a standard 9x13 Pyrex) and sprinkle atop the bread crumbing mixture. Lightly drizzle olive over the bread crumbs. Pop it into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden and the cheese bubbly.

Ready for the oven

You know you want some

Reflections
This is my first time cooking with truffle butter. It might be because the brand that I got isn't very potent with truffle goodness, or perhaps the heat reduced the piquancy, regardless, the truffle flavor was very subtle. It's probably a good thing so the truffle doesn't overwhelm everything else. Usually, a little of that stuff goes a long way due to its pungent and distinctive flavor. If you cannot find truffle butter, substitute truffle oil. In that case, use regular butter to make the roux and add in the truffle oil at the end, after incorporating the pasta. To punch up the truffle-ness, use truffle oil instead of olive oil for the final drizzle.


Special thanks to Kevin and Andi for hosting our pre-Turkey Day dinner! You're the perfect hosts and put together the most elegant table setting. And a special shout out to Graham, Kate, Katy, Brian, Molly, John, Taylor, and of course, my lovely and always helpful boyfriend, Orin. Happy Holidays!

The bird

Season's bounty

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