Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 1 lb. Short pasta, cooked in salted water till SUPER al dente
1 lb. Mozzarella Cheese, Full-Fat shredded
1 lb. Colby-Jack Cheese, shredded
8 oz. Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Garlic Powder
½ tsp. Smoked Paprika
3 Tbs. Butter
3 Tbs. AP Flour
12 oz. Evaporated Milk
2 cups Heavy Cream
1 Tbs. Digon Mustard
Equipment
Box Grater
High-walled Frying Pan or Dutch Oven
Stirring spatula
3 large bowls
1 small bowl
Boiling pot
Pasta Strainer
9"x13" 3 quart casarolle dish
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Directions: |
Directions:Cook your pasta in water as salty as the ocean, until it reaches the Super Al Dente stage. Once cooked, drain the pasta but do not rinse it, and set aside.
Super Al Dente is the stage before Al Dente, where the pasta is still slightly undercooked. It will stick to your teeth when you bite into it and your first thought will be, "This needs to cook for a few more minutes." This texture is perfect for Baked Mac-n-Cheese because we are not done cooking it. if you boil it to perfection, it will be mush when it comes out of the oven.
Shred all the cheese, mix it, and separate it into two equal portions. Place each portion into separate bowls and set them aside.
Combine salt, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Place the mixture into a bowl and set it aside.
Melt butter in a high-walled frying pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add half of the seasoning mixture to the melted butter and stir to combine.
Add flour to the melted butter & seasoning and cook over medium heat until it slightly darkens and develops a pie crust odor. Congratulations... you have made a seasoned roux.
Slowly add the evaporated milk to the roux while constantly stirring with a wire whisk. Then whisk in the cream and add the remaining seasoning mixture & Dijon Mustard.
Bring the sauce to a boil while stirring constantly. The sauce will thicken up and become ready to receive the cheese.
Turn off the heat, and slowly add one of the reserved cheese bowls. Add a handful of cheese at a time, stirring constantly. The sauce should have enough residual heat to melt the cheese. Do not turn the heat back on because cheese does not boil. High heat will cause the cheese to separate and make a greasy mess.
After adding the cheese to the sauce, add the macaroni and gently fold it into the sauce.
Place a thin layer of sauced macaroni on the bottom of the casserole dish. Then take the second bowl of reserved cheese, sprinkle a layer of cheese over it, and repeat. Create layers of pasta and cheese, like a lasagna, and try to have the top layer be cheese.
Place the casserole into a 350ºF oven for about 25 to 30 minutes.
Finally, broil the casserole for a few minutes to brown the top layer of cheese and serve. |
This recipe for Tini's Baked Mac-n-Cheese is from