Mac and Cheese Lorraine

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray, 2007

Show: 30 Minute MealsEpisode: All Grown Up

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (47)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(47)

Cook Time:
25 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
4 servings

Times:

Prep: 10 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 25 min
Total:: 35 min

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Ingredients

Salt
1 pound gemelli pasta or other short cut pasta
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound bacon, chopped
2 onions, quartered and thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup whole milk
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded Gruyere
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions

Heat water for pasta, salt water and cook pasta to al dente.

While pasta water comes to boil, heat extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add bacon and crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Add onions and cook 10 minutes until soft and beginning to caramelize. Add wine and cook out, 1 minute.

While onions cook, heat a sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter, melt and whisk in flour. Cook 1 minute then whisk in stock and milk and bring to a bubble. Thicken a few minutes then season with salt and pepper. Melt in cheese stirring it in a figure-8 motion with a wooden spoon. Add nutmeg and mustard and adjust salt and pepper.

Drain pasta, toss with onions and stir in cheese sauce to coat. Top with crispy bacon and serve.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Mac and Cheese Lorraine
Meghan Baton Rouge, LA 07-02-2009
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Not a main dish
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

I found this dish to be disappointing. I used a smoked white cheddar instead of gruyere and only used one onion, like the... other reviews had suggested. I also used a whole pound of bacon instead of the half pound on the recipe. It just wasn't satisfying enough for me to consider it a main dish. Mabye if I had used gruyere, it would have been better, but I don't think I will make it again. I just thought.. cheese, onions, mustard, bacon. These are all things I love. But I didn't love them in this dish.Read more
recipe Mac and Cheese Lorraine
Michael Fairfax, VA 06-29-2009
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Good
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I LOATHE Rachael Ray and most of her food but even I love this recipe, its always a hit with guests. I made it once for a... vegetarian and used vegetable stock - it added so much depth of flavor that I use it all the time no matter who I'm cooking for!Read more
recipe Mac and Cheese Lorraine
camille schenectady, NY 06-18-2009
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Best mac and cheese
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I have made this many, many times when I have a large crowd. The only thing that I ever did differently was instead of using... bacon I use pancetta. There's less grease and it gives it such a deeper flavor than regular bacon. I am always getting requests to make this from family and friends.Read more
recipe Mac and Cheese Lorraine
Brandy Louisville, CO 03-15-2009
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Tasty twist on mac and cheese
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

This recipe is fairly tasty as is, next time we will make a few modifications. 1) Decrease the onion to 1 med/large. 2)... If you can't find center cut bacon, use the whole pound and drain off the extra oil. Used hickory smoked bacon which added a nice sweetness and smoke to the recipe. We have 2 kinds of Gruyere in our local store and having previously tried one that was slightly mild but had a nice smoky flavor, tried the other. The second option turned out to be less mild and almost no smoky flavor to it all. We think the taste would have been better with the more smokey mild Gruyere. As mentioned, this recipe makes a ton. There are only 2 of us and we ate this most of the week. This makes a good generous 4-servings as the main dish, if making as a side it's more like 8.Read more
recipe Mac and Cheese Lorraine
LAURIE Woodbine, NJ 03-11-2009
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Rachel's Mac and Cheese
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I am slightly reluctant to write what I am about to because I feel the reviews that say how great the recipe is " except I... would change this " are not a good representation of the recipe I read the reviews before trying any recipe, so I took to heart the recommendations to use only one onion. I think Rachel nailed it with the combo of ingredients. I make homemade mac and cheese as a quick comfort food that my family loves. I did not use center cut bacon, so I ended up draining the bacon fat before sauteeing the onions. Also, I used a cheese plane to grate the Gruyere, so I added more than the 2 cups because the measurements seemed off to me. I would like to know how many oz rather than the cup measurement ? I think the bechemel sauce was not enough on terms of volume to put on this much pasta. The next time I try this, I will double up on the milk, perhaps add more cheese to make it a more creamy consistancy...and like some of the other reviewers, bake it for about 15 minutes. And also, it is more than 4 servings, even for my hungry family Other than that, I think the recipe is really tasty ! Love you Rachel , even if you are not a chef like some of the others on FN !Read more
recipe Mac and Cheese Lorraine
Karen Virginia Beach, VA 03-11-2009
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great blend of flavors
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this as a main dish tonight for dinner; it makes a lot if you are only cooking for 2. I used 1 large onion, seemed to... be plenty. I substituted the Gruyere cheese with 1 cup mozzarella and 1 cup cheddar - tasted great. Also I used turkey bacon. It was perfect blend of flavors. Read more