THREE CHEESE AND TRUFFLE MAC AND CHEESE
I have to confess I haven’t been a fan of truffle oils or truffle anything really until recently. My dad loves it. Really loves it, as in using it for lettuce salads. Like I always say, if you want to like something, try it fried first. A few months ago I tried truffle freest a restaurant and it was love at first bite. There was no turning back. In that same trip, I bought my bottle of truffle oil and I use it overtime I order classic Italian pizza. This recipe, on the other hand, was inspired a bit by my sisters. y two little sisters are number one fans of the kraft mac and cheese that you make in the microwave. One of them, adds some seasoning to make it better. With that in mind, I decided to elevate it to a 10 out of 10 dish.
Initially the idea was to make a classic mac and cheese. Using the ingredients we see every time like cheddar cheese. I noticed my truffle oil sitting on my counter and decided to make this truffle mac and cheese. A small amount goes a log way with this oil and it turned out perfectly. The day I wanted to make this recipe I realized i was out of cheddar cheese. I looked in my fridge to see what cheeses I had and found a couple of the ones I used for the fondue I made a few days earlier. Perfect, I used those and it really came out perfect. So delicious.
WHAT GOES IN THIS TRUFFLE MAC AND CHEESE:
Let’s start with the pasta. This recipe is made with elbow pasta or macaroni pasta. This is a tube like pasta that is slightly bended to look like an elbow. Then, there’s the sauce. The sauce is made up of 3 cheeses. Swiss, parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Amazing right? After that, you add the top layer. This layer is a mixture of panko bread crumbs, some grated parmesan cheese and a bit or garlic powder. This is a flavor and texture combination that will leave you wanting so much more after that first serving.
TIPS FOR A PERFECT TRUFFLE MAC AND CHEESE:
The cheese: For the sauce, the best thing you can do is grate it completely before you actually have use it. Rip the mozzarella slices if you have them in that format and grate the other two cheeses. This way, it melts so quickly into the sauce base.
The truffle oil: Truffle oil has a strong flavor. If you are going to use white truffle oil use around 3 teaspoons for this recipe. On the other hand, if you have or want to use black truffle oil one teaspoon is more than enough. Black truffle oil is way stronger and harder to find than white truffle oil. The oil I have, I bought at an italian restaurant in miami. If you can’t find some, you can always order some from amazon. They come in different sizes so if you are not sure about it, order a small bottle first. Now, if you don’t find it or don’t want to use truffle for this recipe, don’t worry, it comes out PERFECT still.
Panko: Panko is a japanese style bread crumb made from crustless bread. Unlike traditional bread crumbs, this panko is a crumbled bread not pulverized. For this recipe I loved the idea of seasoning it with a bit of garlic powder and combine it with some freshly grated parmesan cheese for the topping.
EQUIPMENT:
Saucepans: You will need two saucepans, one for the pasta and another one for the cheese sauce. Once the pasta is ready you can pour the pasta into the sauce or viceversa. I recommend adding the sauce to the pasta rather that the other way around to use every last drop of that truffle oil.
Measures: Cups, tablespoons and a kitchen scale. Everything you need to measure and weigh everything for this recipe.
Spoon: Wooden or teflon spoon.
Baking dish: Glass or ceramic baking dish. I used a paellera but any of those work .
Grater: To grate the cheeses before making the sauce.
Whisk: To make the sauce.
THREE CHEESE AND TRUFFLE MAC AND CHEESE
Ingredients
- 200 gr elbow pasta
- 1 1/2 Tbsp butter + extra for the baking dish.
- 3 tsp white truffle oil
- 1 1/2 Tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 Cups whole milk
- 50 gr swiss cheese
- 50 gr mozzarella cheese
- 40 gr parmesan cheese + extra for topping
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder + extra for topping
- Pepper to taste
- Panko (enough to cover the entre baking dish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Place a medium saucepan with water and salt over medium to high heat. When it boils, add pasta to cook.
- Cook pasta completely. Once it is ready, take it out of the water and add the truffle oil. Mix well.
- For the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat on the other saucepan. Add flour and whick constantly cooking it for about a minute.
- Add milk and mix. Make sure there are no lumps.
- Cook until it starts to thicken. Add garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Add cheeses and stir until completely melted.
- Add sauce to the pasta and mix well.
- Butter the baking dish and pour everything in. PRess down a bit and cover with panko, grated parmesan cheese and a bit of garlic powder.
- Bake until top is golden brown.
- Serve warm.
