Comfort food rules.
Comfort food rules any time of year, but when it’s cold and blustery or just damned wintery, comfort food makes the day a little brighter.
A couple of days ago we met friends at their place for dinner and our hostess said she was going to serve the ultimate comfort food – mac and cheese.
There’s now a half-dollar sized bruise on my left lower rib cage where my lovely wife elbowed me as my eyes rolled back in my head at that pronouncement, my mind immediately flashing to the familiar blue and gold Kraft boxes that embody the dish for so many.
Our hostess giggled at my wife’s deft blow as an involuntary tear of pain welled in the corner of my eye, and she assured me that this was Big Boy (and Girl) Mac and Cheese that would forever change my jaded view. Ha.
From her soapbox (which might of well been a giant three-foot tall piece of rigatoni) our hostess went on to reveal her secrets – great cheeses, half and half, caramelized shallots and butter.
She said she was ‘channeling her inner Paula Deen’. Calories and cholesterol be damned.
I had to reluctantly admit that things were sounding better, and then she pulled the magical dish from the oven.
Wow. You’ve never, and I mean never ever tasted a mac and cheese like this.
Bring on the comfort food.
Under threat of being included in the assault charge I’m threatening against my wife, our hostess quickly wrote out the recipe.
5 tbs. butter
3 and 1/2 cups (a little more would probably be even better) sliced shallots – 6 or 7 big ones
1 tbs. crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups small elbow macaroni
1 and 1/4 cups half and half
1 tbs hot sauce (she used Cholula)
2 cups firmly packed, grated extra sharp Cheddar cheese
1 and 1/2 tbs. all purpose flour
1 cup crumbled soft fresh goat cheese (Paula Lambert’s if you can get it)
Preheat the oven to 400. Butter an 11x7x2 inch baking dish.
Melt 4 tbs butter over medium high in a large skillet and add the shallots, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring every minute or so, for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium, and cook covered for another 5 to 7 minutes until the shallots are a deep brown. You’ll need to stir every minute or so, and add the crushed red pepper flakes during the final 2 minutes of cooking.
While the shallots are browning cook the macaroni in a large pot of boiling water until al dente; drain well.
In the now empty macaroni pot bring the half and half and the hot sauce to a simmer. Dust the grated cheddar with the flour, mix well, and add to the half and half mixture. Whisk until the cheese has melted and the mixture returns to a simmer. Dump in the pasta and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pour the pasta mix into the prepared dish, spread evenly, cover with the shallots and then crumble the goat cheese on top of it all. Bake until bubbling hot (15 – 20 minutes) and go to it.
It was great with a simple salad and a very nice, inexpensive Riesling. (I just heard some of you wine geeks rolling your eyes out there – I’m sending my wife over to jab you in the ribs.)
Enjoy.
Tags: Friday Feast
