This gourmet twist on an old favourite takes Mac and cheese to the next level.
Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ cup chopped chives
2 tbsp plain flour
3 ½ cups milk, or as needed
1 ½ cups cream, or as needed
200g Beston’s Edwards Crossing Gruyère, shredded*
1 cup shredded cheddar
Sea salt
500g dried elbow pasta
Freshly ground black pepper
⅔ cup breadcrumbs
⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
30g unsalted butter
*Avoid grating the rind as it’s not edible and will ruin the texture of the dish.
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and sautée for about one minute or until fragrant. Add chives and reduce the heat to medium-low, whisk in the flour.
- Gradually whisk in the milk and cream, before bringing the sauce to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Simmer, whisking often, for about 10–12 minutes (do not allow the sauce to boil).
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and gradually whisk in the gruyère and cheddar cheeses. Remove the pan from the heat and season the sauce to taste with pepper.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the pasta and cook, stirring often to prevent it from sticking together, for about eight minutes or until tender. Drain well.
- Stir the pasta into the hot cheese sauce. Season to taste again with salt and pepper and place in skillet or baking dish.
- In a small bowl, toss the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley and melted butter to mix well. Season with salt and sprinkle evenly over the pasta mix.
- Bake in oven until the topping is golden brown (about 2–5 minutes), careful not to let it burn.
- Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.