Chipotle Macaroni & Cheese
By Katie Workman, Editor in Chief of Cookstr.com
Macaroni & cheese is one of my all-time favorite dishes to make and to serve. Everyone loves it; kids love it, adults, jaded foodies who like to discuss whether or not fatty toro is in season. I have one friend who regularly eats out at fabulous restaurant after fabulous restaurant and whenever she comes to my house, she prays that macaroni & cheese is on the menu (and when I know she’s coming, it usually is).
One reason grown-ups like it so much is because it is often considered a kind of old-fashioned, maybe even corny dish - many people haven’t had homemade macaroni & cheese in a long, long time. These are the people who tend to sigh with pleasure when the casserole is deposited on the table.
I was tickled pink when the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board offered me the opportunity to concoct a new recipe and choose a cheese from their generous list of indigenous cheeses. They said, “Pick a cheese!” I said, “Can I have three?” They said, “Sure!”
I often add a couple of tablespoons of Dijon mustard to the mix, but for a while now have been having a tiny love affair with chipotles in adobo sauce, and wondering how to incorporate them into…um, everything? If you puree up a little 7-ounce can of the stuff, you can keep it in the fridge for weeks on end and add a teaspoon or two to all kind of savory recipes whenever you want a little heat and a little smokiness. And you’ll want to make sure you taste for salt, since the pasta and sauce needs the lift and you don’t want to skimp.
I used rotini, because the spirals make me happy.
Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese
Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 cup (about 4 ounces) Wisconsin Parmesan Cheese, coarsely grated, divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups reduced fat or whole milk, or a combination
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) Wisconsin Gruyère Cheese, coarsely grated
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) Wisconsin Asiago Cheese, coarsely grated
1 tablespoon pureed chipotles in adobo sauce, or more to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/3 pounds rotini pasta (or any short pasta)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 3-quart shallow baking dish (or use two smaller baking dishes). For the topping, melt the 2 tablespoons butter and stir it together with the Panko and 1/2 cup Parmesan until well combined.
For the sauce, in a 5-quart heavy saucepan melt the 4 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat and whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring until golden, and gradually whisk in the milk.
Turn heat up to medium-high and bring the sauce to a simmer, whisking frequently, then lower the heat to medium, and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat, and stir in cream, grated Gruyère, Asiago, remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan, pureed chipotles, salt and pepper; stirring until everything is smooth. Taste for seasoning.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, cooking until barely al dente (follow package directions). Just before it’s ready, scoop out 1 cup of the cooking water and whisk it into the sauce, and then drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the baking dish(es). There will appear to be a lot of sauce, but some of it will absorb into the pasta as it cooked.
Sprinkle the Panko topping evenly over the pasta and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Give it a few minutes to sit before serving.
Labels: Asiago, Gruyère, Macaroni & Cheese, Parmesan, Recipe, Wisconsin Cheese
