Tuesday 8 May 2012

Mozzarella, Parmesan and Goats Cheese Macaroni

Mac & Cheese by Dalboz17,
on Flickr
The cheeses listed here are the ones that I like to use, but you can use an combination of hard and soft cheeses with different melting points. The goats cheese won't melt, so you end up with little pocket of goats cheese

With the ingredients, you can vary them as you see fit - this normally feeds 2 hungry adults and kids
  • 250g of macaroni
  • 2oz (56g) of butter 
  • 2oz (56g) of flour
  • 1 pint of full of milk
  • 1 pack of pancetta cubes (or bacon)
  • 250g of grated mozzarella or  cheddar cheese
  • 50g of parmesan
  • 50g of goats cheese - cubed
  • 1 teaspoon of corn flour
  1. Cook the macaroni in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 8-10 minutes; drain well and set aside in an ovenproof dish
  2. Melt the butter in a microwave (or pan) and then stir the flour in until you have smooth paste
  3. Put the milk into a pan and place on the hob. Scrape all the paste into the pan and start whisking as it gets warm. After around 5-10 minutes you'll have a thickened and smooth sauce
  4. Gently fry the pancetta cubes until nicely browned and then mix into the macaroni so that they well distributed
  5. Scatter the corn flour into the mozzarella or cheddar and mix with your hands. This stops the fat and proteins separating and gives you a nice shiny sauce
  6. Pour the mozzarella or cheddar into the sauce and whisk quickly until all the cheese is melted
  7. Add the parmesan and whisk 
  8. Finally add the goats cheese and whisk
  9. Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni and add some more mozzarella or cheddar over the top followed by some parmesan
  10. Place under a hot grill until bubbling.


The corn flour trick came from the excellent How to Cook Like Heston