Best mac and cheese
Brian Lagerstrom · ♥ 16.6K likes · 581.4K views · 11 min video
Read about cheese in the BrightCulinary Book
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Ingredients
Method
Techniques
- 75 g Taleggio
- 75 g Gruyere
- 50 g Parmigiano
Cut the washed rind off the Taleggio and chop the interior paste into tiny pieces; grate the Gruyere and Parmigiano.
- 20–30 g olive oil
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
Fry a half cup of panko in 20 to 30 grams of olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium high 2 to 3 minutes until deeply golden, keeping them moving because they go from blonde to burnt in about 15 seconds.
- 30 g butter
- 20 g AP flour
Melt 30 grams of butter in a saucepan, whisk in 20 grams of flour and sizzle about 30 seconds over medium to cook off the raw edge.
- 400 g milk
Stream in 400 grams of milk a little at a time, whisking until homogeneous and thickened into a bechamel.
- 4–5 g salt
Drop the heat very low and whisk in the Gruyere, Taleggio, Parmesan and salt until melted into a thick fondue.
- 75 g mascarpone cheese
- nutmeg
- 1–2 g black pepper
Whisk in 75 grams of mascarpone, then grate in a whisper of nutmeg and add a strong pinch of black pepper; lid on to stop a skin forming and hold it over the lowest heat.
Mascarpone, nutmeg and holding the sauce
- 225 g large shells
- salted water
Boil 225 grams of large shells in salted water for 10 minutes, stirring at the start so they do not stick.
Drain the shells and toss them in the warm mornay; the starch coming off them helps thicken and unify the sauce.
- grated Parmesan
- grated Gruyere
- black pepper
- olive oil
Serve in a deep bowl topped with the fried panko, grated Parmesan and Gruyere, a strong pinch of black pepper and a long drizzle of olive oil.