Mac N Cheese Study
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 8 servings
- Total: 1 hr 15 min
- Prep: 30 min
- Cook: 45 min
Ingredients
1/4 pound Humbolt Fog cheese (Cypress Grove)
6 ounces goat cheese (Colorado), divided (recommended: Haystack Mountain Snowdrop)
1/2 pound goat cheese (Italy) (recommended: Brunet)
1/4 pound mild semi-hard cheese (recommended: Old Kentucky Tomme)
1 pound goat cheese (Spain) (recommended: Pata Cabra)
5 ounces goat Gouda (Holland) (recommended: Ballerina)
2 lemons
2 teaspoons smoked hot paprika
Finely ground Mediterranean sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 quarts shrimp stock or water
1 pound strozzapreti pasta, dry (recommended: Montebello Organic)
1 pound tubetti lisci pasta, dry (recommended: Pastificio Riscossa #64)
4 artichokes
8 garlic cloves, peeled
7 bay leaves
Olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, thickly sliced (recommended: Golden Farms)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons garlic granules
2 teaspoons Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons crushed Italian seasoning
3 egg whites
Sugar
Snipped fresh chives
Directions
Special equipment:
Kitchen torch- Grate all the cheeses and keep separated. Zest 2/3 lemon into goat gouda. Add smoked paprika and salt and pepper and blend.
- Bring shrimp stock or water to a boil. Add strozzapreti and tubetti pastas. Bring water back to a boil and cook about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Peel fresh artichokes down to heart, removing choke. Boil artichokes to a soft-firm (about 20 minutes). Roast your artichoke hearts with lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, bay leaves and a splash of olive oil for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degrees F oven. Chop artichokes into 1 1/2-inch chunks and set aside.
- Rough chop and saute your pancetta in pan until just crispy on outside- do not overcook.
- For the sauce:
- Start by melting the butter. Then add a tablespoon all purpose flour and whisk together to create a roux. Add cream, then garlic granules, Spanish paprika, salt, red pepper flakes, cayenne, Italian seasoning and the juice of 1/2 lemon. Add your cheeses 1 at a time: first the melted Pata Cabra goat cheese, then your Humboldt fog and goat cheeses. Reserve 2 ounces of the Haystack for final garnish. Fold in egg whites. Blend until all cheese is melted. Add pancetta and artichokes. Now add your cooked pasta to mixture, making sure all the pasta is coated.
- You can cook for just a bit longer. Add salt, to taste, as needed. Place into small bowls and garnish with remaining goat cheese. Sprinkle sugar onto the cheese and brulee with a kitchen torch. Garnish with chives and serve.