FLAVOR OF THE MONTH: Mac 'n' Cheese Recipe

SIX-CHEESE OVEN-BAKED MACARONI

Ingredients:

2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked

4 tablespoons sweet butter (plus enough to grease the dishes)

¾ cup heavy cream

2 oz. Arabella from Jacobs & Brichford (Connersville), rind removed and cut into chunks

2 oz. Briana from Jacobs & Brichford, rind removed and cut into chunks

2 oz. Moonglo from Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery (Champaign, Illinois), rind removed and cut into chunks

2 oz. Gouda from Sunset Acres (Rockville), rind removed and cut into chunks

2 oz. Brick Street Tomme from Traders Point Creamery (Zionsville), rind removed and cut into chunks

2 oz. Chedda Brew from Swissland Cheese (Berne), grated

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Vegetable oil (enough to coat the macaroni)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 430 degrees. Lightly butter four mini-cocottes. Partially cook the macaroni in salted boiling water for 3–4 minutes. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water to stop  the cooking. Add several drops of vegetable oil to keep the noodles from sticking. Set macaroni aside.

In a medium saucepan over low-to-medium heat, melt three tablespoons of butter. Add the cream and all of the cheeses except the Chedda Brew. Stir until the cheeses have melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix the pasta into the melted cheese and divide into the mini-cocottes. Combine panko, one tablespoon of melted butter, and Chedda Brew and sprinkle the mixture over each cocotte. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Let rest for 5 minutes, and then top with parsley. Recipe adapted from Le Creuset’s mini-cocotte recipe book.

Where to Buy:

Cookware: Le Creuset  Mini-Cocottes $79.99 for a set of four, at Macys.com

Cheeses: Arabella, Briana, Moonglo, and Tomme cheeses available at Goose the Market (2503 N. Delaware St., 317-924-4944). Sunset Acres Gouda and Chedda Brew available at Pogue’s Run Grocer (2828 E. 10th St., 317-426-4963).

Photo by Tony Valainis

This article appeared in the January 2013 issue.