American · Main
Macaroni Cheese
A mornay of five cheeses each doing a job — stretch, sharpness, funk, salt, crust — under a storm of crisp shallots
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- Macaroni — 500 g
- Unsalted butter — 70 g
- Plain flour — 60 g
- Whole milk — 1 L, warm
- Mature Cheddar — 200 g, grated
- Gruyère — 120 g, grated
- Mozzarella — 120 g, torn
- Gorgonzola — 60 g, crumbled
- Parmesan — 60 g, grated
- Dijon mustard — 12 g
- Freshly grated nutmeg — 0.5 g
- Shallots — 150 g, fine rings
- Cornflour — 20 g; neutral oil — 300 ml
- Fine sea salt — 9 g; white pepper — 1 g
Method
- Boil macaroni in well-salted water 2 minutes short of packet time; drain, reserving 100 ml water.
- Béchamel: cook butter and flour 2 minutes; whisk in warm milk in stages. Simmer 5 minutes.
- Off heat, melt in Cheddar, Gruyère, Gorgonzola and half the Parmesan; season with mustard, nutmeg, salt, white pepper.
- Fold in pasta with a splash of reserved water — the sauce should look slightly too loose; it tightens in the oven.
- Into a 2.5 L dish; tuck in mozzarella pockets, top with remaining Parmesan.
- Bake at 200°C for 20–25 minutes until blistered and bubbling at the edges. Rest 8 minutes.
- Shallots: toss rings in cornflour; fry at 160°C for 3–4 minutes to deep gold; drain and salt.