Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients

• 6 strips of bacon or pancetta fine diced
• 1 onion fine diced
• 3 cloves of garlic fine diced
• 2 jalapeño peppers fine diced seeds removed
• 1 red pepper fine diced seeds removed
• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1/2 cup of flour plus 2 tablespoons
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 8 oz Velveeta cheese
• 500 ml heavy whipping cream
• 4 cups grated cheddar cheese ( 2 cups used for the sauce, 2 cups for the sauce
• 1 cup assorted grated cheese ( Monterey Jack, Parmigiana,Colby ect)
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese for topping
• 500 ml 18% coffee cream
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 lbs of elbow macaroni or rustic pasta of your choice

Instructions

You will need a large pot with 10 cups of salted water to bring to a boil.

You will also need a heavy pot such as a Dutch Oven to cook your sauce.

With the Dutch Oven on Medium Low Heat, add your bacon to the pot, slowly sauté until the bacon is cooked to a medium texture. Add your butter.

Add the onions and jalapeño, garlic and red peppers to the bacon and cook till the onions are translucent but not browned about 5 mins, your bacon should be fully cooked by now.

Add your flour to the mixture and cook for about 5 min. You are making a roux and you need to cook the flour.

Add your chicken stock and bring to a boil while stirring continuously. Once the mixture has come to a boil and has cooked for 3 min turn down to low heat. This will be sauce will be very thick

in a microwave in a large glass bowl , heat up the Velvetta and the heavy whipping cream for aprox 3-4 min. Checking every 30 seconds and stirring until smooth. Note this could boil over if you don’t check. Once this mixture is smooth and hot, add it to your other sauce.

Add your 2 cups of cheddar cheese and 1 cup assorted cheese to your sauce until all your cheese is melted and it’s thick. Then add your coffee cream. Your sauce will be thick to adhere to your macaroni.

Pre Heat Oven to 375 degrees F

Cook your macaroni for about 2 min less than the package tells you as your macaroni will be over cooked if you don’t.

Once your macaroni is cooked, drain it and slowly add to the cheese sauce. Use salt and pepper to season, the bacon should provide enough salt . Cracked black pepper brings out the flavour of the cheese sauce.

Place macaroni in an oven proof baking pan, I like to use a little Pam spray on the edges so they doing stick to the pan. Add the remaining cheddar cheese and mozzarella as a topping and bake for 30-40 min until macaroni is golden brown.

Final thoughts

This Macaroni & Cheese dish is a hearty classic. I don’t use the traditional béchamel sauce but rather a voloute sauce. Your cheese sauce will be flavourful, don’t be afraid to mix up your cheese varieties in the sauce, as long as you use the Velveeta and at least 2 cups of cheddar cheese. Your Mac & Cheese will be amazing.