By Food & Style

The first time I tasted macaroni & cheese, I was well into my twenties. The experience was entirely new and entirely pleasing. How could it not be? After all, pasta and cheese is one of those superb pairings that delight just about everyone, regardless of their age, gender or background.

But if you were raised in a French household like I was, your only experience of pasta (“les nouilles”), would have been of limp, overcooked noodles tossed with a little butter and served alongside a steak – a far cry from the luscious mixture of creamy cheeses and macaroni that Kraft turned into an icon in 1937 with the “Kraft Dinner.”

Needless to say, I was eager to adopt my new homeland’s favorite comfort food as my own. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I adore all cheeses, regardless of how stinky, how aged or how moldy they might be!

So when the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board asked me if I would create a macaroni & cheese recipe featuring Wisconsin Cheese to celebrate National Cheese Lover’s Day, it was an offer I simply couldn’t refuse.

As I worked on the concept for my recipe, I thought it would be fun to bring in a bit of my French background. Since the recipe would be released in the winter months, I decided to feature a winter vegetable that’s very prominent in French cooking and certainly one of my favorites – the leek.

When braised (first sautéed over high heat to caramelize the leeks, then gently simmered with a little white wine), leeks lose their spunk and turn mellow and sweet. Pair them with sweet and slightly tangy Asiago and you have a macaroni & cheese that will make you come back for seconds even if your stomach screams it’s full.

Mac and Cheese with Braised Leeks and Asiago
Serves 8

Ingredients:
Leeks:
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 leeks, trimmed to remove tops and roots (about 1 1/2 pounds),
cut in half lengthwise and then into 1/4″ slices, thoroughly washed
4 large garlic cloves, skinned and finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
3/4 cup white wine

Béchamel:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons unbleached white flour
6 cups milk, warm
1 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground nutmeg to taste (use microplane grater)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups (8 ounces) Wisconsin Asiago Cheese, coarsely grated

Bread crumbs:
1/3 cup bread crumbs (prepared or fresh)
1/2 cup Wisconsin Parmesan Cheese, finely grated
1 tablespoon olive oil

Pasta:
1 pound pennette lisce or macaroni
1 tablespoon sea salt (for the pasta water)

Directions:
For the leeks:
Heat large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and leeks. Toss well and sauté 5 to 6 minutes until leeks have wilted and just begin to take on a golden color, tossing from time to time. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper and wine. Quickly toss, reduce heat to medium-low and cover pan. Braise leeks for 25 minutes until very tender and all the juices have evaporated (if there is still some liquid in the pan after braising the leeks for 25 minutes, sauté at high heat for 1 to 2 minutes until all juices have evaporated). Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

For the béchamel:
Place butter in heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. As soon as the butter is melted, whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly for 1 to 2 minutes until mixture becomes foamy and flour becomes golden, but not brown. Quickly whisk in warm milk and cream. While constantly whisking, bring back to a boil. As soon as the mixture reaches boiling point, lower the heat to medium and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes until béchamel has slightly thickened, still whisking constantly. Add nutmeg, salt, pepper and grated cheese. Whisk until cheese has melted and remove from heat.

For the breadcrumbs:
Place the breadcrumbs and Parmesan in a small bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and mix well. Set aside.

For the pasta:
Butter a medium ceramic or glass baking dish. Preheat oven to 375°F.

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil; add salt and pasta. Cook pasta about 2 minutes less than the package instructions so that it’s not cooked all the way through (see picture below). Drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Add leeks and béchamel to the pasta and stir until well blended. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan breadcrumbs and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until bubbly on the sides and golden. Remove from oven and heat the broiler on high. Place macaroni & cheese under the broiler for a few seconds to brown breadcrumbs. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Cook’s note: The macaroni & cheese is best eaten as soon as it’s made. Reheating it will make it stodgy. The braised leeks can be prepared up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated. The béchamel can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Gently reheat it over medium-low heat and thin with a little milk before using in the recipe. Boil the pasta, assemble and bake the macaroni & cheese just before serving.

Viviane’s tips:
Cut leeks in half lengthwise and thoroughly rinse under cold running water, to remove the dirt lodged between the leaves.

Using a microplane grater to grate the nutmeg into the béchamel makes the job so easy!

Cook the pasta about 2 minutes fewer than the package instructions. The pasta should still have a little white ring in the center, indicating that it’s not cooked all the way through.

© 2010 Viviane Bauquet Farre – food & style NY LLC

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Asiago, Macaroni & Cheese, Recipe, Wisconsin Cheese

3 Responses to “Mac and Cheese with Braised Leeks and Asiago”

1. Mandy says:

   January 23, 2010 at 10:38 am

   Thanks for the ring in the properly cooked pasta tip. I usually try to judge by popping it in my mouth, but this seems a little safer.
2. Elisabeth Jacobs says:

   January 26, 2010 at 5:47 pm

   This is wonderful! Living as I do in Wisconsin, I can’t wait to pass this on to friends. We do make good cheese, and more and more artisan Cheese Works are popping up all around here. (Madison)
   Thank you Viviane for making this with leeks! I have tons of it from my Winter Share at our CSA Farm.
3. Mark says:

   February 1, 2010 at 9:22 am

   One word: WOW!

   I never would have imagined such an elegant wrapping for good ole American Mac & Cheese. But, wow!, this sounds unbelievable!

   Can’t wait to try it out!

   Thanks, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board! What a great concept you have here…

   Mark