A More Gourmet Mac n Cheese

Working my way through my long catalog of Mac 'n Cheese recipes, this weekend I decided to check another off the list, one that is actually quite different from all the others. This was probably one of the first recipes (not just for Mac n Cheese, but ever) that I bookmarked. It's from Picky Palate and the blogger titles her post Famous Gourmet Mac and Cheese, Artisanal Style and the specific recipe is "Chef Terrance Brennan's Gourmet Mac and Cheese," quite the mouthful indeed.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni (I used whole wheat)

7 1/2 tbsp butter, divided

1/4 cup PLUS 2 tbsp flour

3 cups milk (I used fat-free)

2 1/4 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded

1/2 cup Mascarpone cheese

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan, grated

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

- Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil and add the macaroni. Cook until it's al dente, approximately 6-8 minutes.

- While the macaroni is boiling, slowly melt 5 1/2 tbsp butter over medium high heat in a medium sauce pan.

- Add the flour, stirring, cook together for a minute or so. Do not brown the mixture. Add the milk, whisking to avoid lumps. Bring mixture to a boil and continue whisking. Lower heat and simmer for about 5 minutes until it thickens.

- While the milk is simmering, in a separate pan combine 2 tbsp butter and the bread crumbs.

- Add the Parmesan and cook just until the butter is melted. Remove from heat.

- When the milk is ready, add the Mascarpone cheese. Then add the Gruyere and whisk it all together. As soon as it's melted, remove from heat.

- Season with salt and pepper and whisk to combine. Add the macaroni to the mixture, mix well, and when it's nicely incorporated spoon it out into a cooking dish. I used 8x8, but would recommend 9x13.

-Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top, using your hands to pat it down and to evenly distribute all over the surface. Cook for about 35-40 minutes at 350 degree until golden brown and bubbly.

A couple things about the final product before the verdict. The 8x8 baking dish was not big enough, it started overflowing and I had to put another dish underneath it. As a newbie cook I had no clue what size dish to use and the recipe didn't specify. Also, the recipe said the breadcrumbs would become burnt and crunchy, mine never really did.


So the final verdict? It was good, but not my favorite. The flavors were good and definitely more gourmet than traditional macaroni and cheese, but my final product was ehh. It came out more soupy than casseroley (maybe I needed to cook it longer). Plus it is extremely high in WW world. If you get 10 servings out of this, which would be a lot, that would be 10 pts/serving. Definitely not worth it in my book. But that's what this whole resolution is for... trial and error. Plus I have enough AMAZING Mac n Cheese recipes in my repertoire that it's really okay this one wasn't that amazing. I mean don't get me wrong, it still tasted delicious, but again not worth it to me.