Porcini Mac Cheese Recipes

PORCINI MAC & CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine dried porcini mushrooms and boiling water; let stand 15-20 minutes or until mushrooms are softened. Remove with a slotted spoon; rinse and finely chop. Discard liquid. Set aside mushrooms. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente., Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add portobello mushrooms and shallot; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in flour until blended; gradually stir in milk and beer. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in cheeses, salt and reserved porcini mushrooms., Drain pasta; add to mushroom mixture and toss to combine. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with bread crumbs. Bake, uncovered, 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

TRUFFLED PORCINI MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• In a small sauce pan, gently simmer cognac until reduced by half (10 or 15 minutes). Sautee shallots and garlic in olive oil in heavy stock pot until golden. Deglaze with sherry and allow the alcohol to cook off. Add fresh herbs, cream and reduced cognac. Cook over low heat until reduced by half. While sauce is simmering, cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, drain and return to pot. Sautee mushrooms in olive oil until soft and set aside. Add Parmiggiano reggiano, fontina and gruyere to sauce and stir until melted. Add sautéed mushrooms and stir to combine. Pour sauce over cooked pasta and gently mix. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. After plating, drizzle pasta with white truffle oil and garnish with fresh parsley. If you wish, you can pour the pasta into a buttered baking dish, top with ground croutons and bake for ten minutes until brown and bubbly. Drizzle with truffle oil just before serving.

TRUFFLE, PORCINI, AND PECORINO CHEESE POLENTA

Steps:

• For the polenta:
• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, bring the water to a boil and add the kosher salt. Slowly stir in the polenta with a whisk, then reduce to a simmer. Continue stirring this mixture until all of the lumps are smoothed out and the polenta is fully incorporated. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour-the polenta should bubble slightly-stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. (Be sure to scrape the bottom as you go, to prevent sticking.) Toward the end of the simmering, remove the polenta from the heat and stir in the kefir.
• For the mushrooms:
• While the polenta is cooking, in a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the porcinis, evenly distributing them over the bottom of the pot. Let the mushrooms sit, without stirring, until browned, 7 to 10 minutes. (Do not stir them too early; listen for the sizzling sound of moisture evaporating before stirring.) Once the moisture has evaporated, give them a quick stir, then remove the pan from the heat.
• To plate:
• Ladle the polenta into a medium/large shallow bowl, topping with the mushrooms and pecorino cheese. Sprinkle the entire platter with the truffle salt or the truffle oil or shave the fresh truffle over it; don't use more than one of these options or it will overpower the dish. If not using truffle salt, sprinkle with a generous pinch of Maldon sea salt.