Anne Burrells Killer Mac And Cheese Recipes

ANNE BURRELL'S KILLER MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add bacon and bring to medium heat. Stir bacon occasionally. When crisp and brown (6-8 minutes) remove bacon from pan. Drain. Do not discard bacon fat!
• Add butter and onion to pan with the fat. Season with salt and cook till onions are soft and aromatic (8-10 minutes). Add flour and cook stirring 4-5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk, season with salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer on low heat 8-10 minutes more.
• In the meantime, bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook 1 minute less than the package directions stipulate. Drain and reserve.
• Add the three cheeses to the milk mixture and whisk to combine. Add mustard and Tabasco; taste and adjust seasonings. If mixture is too thick, add more milk. Stir in bacon and pasta. Mixture should be very creamy and flavorful. Serve immediately or transfer to a baking dish or ramekins and reheat in a 375 degree oven.

KILLER MAC AND CHEESE WITH BACON

Steps:

• Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the bacon and set the pan over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Do not discard the bacon fat: Reserve that deliciousness!
• Add the butter and onion to the pan with the bacon fat; season with salt and cook until the onion is soft and aromatic, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture looks like wet sand, about 3 minutes.
• Slowly whisk in the milk, mustard and a few shakes of Tabasco. Season with salt and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the mixture is slightly thicker than heavy cream, 6 to 8 more minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook 1 minute less than the instructions on the package suggest. Taste it: It should be toothsome, with just a little nugget of hard pasta still in the center-this is al dente. Drain the pasta.
• Add the Cheddar, fontina and Parmesan to the milk mixture and whisk to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed, adding a little more milk if the mixture seems too thick. Stir in the cooked bacon and pasta. The mixture should be very creamy and flavorful. Serve immediately. (If making ahead, transfer to a baking dish or ramekins, then reheat in a 375 degree oven.)