Macaroni Cheese
Macaroni Cheese is a dish that evokes comfort and nostalgic memories for many. It's not a dish we cook that often and consequently we're late to the party in publishing our take on this recipe.As always, we like to make something traditionally barbecue a bit different and zhuzh it up. In this version, we've added bacon, used cream cheese to create a creamier sauce and spiced with some jalapeños but you could always leave them out. We do, however, always use dijon mustard to intensify the flavour of the sauce. We like a crispy top, so we're adding panko breadcrumbs over the top of the dish as we put in the Egg to cook.This dish is perfect as a side for grilled meats or as the star of the show. Cooked on the Big Green Egg, the dish is infused with a gentle kiss of smoky flavor, which pairs beautifully with the creamy, cheesy sauce.
Ingredients
Equipment
Grill Temperature
Surfaces
Method
- Set up your Big Green Egg for an indirect cook with the stainless steel grid on top of your ConvEGGtor. Set your Egg to 200°C.
- Pre-cook your pasta in boiling salted water for 7 minutes. It doesn't need to be cooked fully as it will be smothered in cheese sauce before being cooked again.
- Cut your bacon into small pieces and fry off for about 5 minutes in a pan until crispy.
- To make the sauce, you start with a classic roux, so melt the butter in a pan and then stir in the flour. Keep stirring, you're looking to make a thick paste. Once you've got a paste, give it a couple of minutes to cook the flour; you'll start to see bubbles forming in the paste.
- Add the milk gradually, a bit at a time, stirring continously, until all the milk has been added. As the milk heats up, it will start to thicken, so keep stirring to avoid any lumps forming.
- You're looking for the sauce to coat the back of a spoon, at this point you can stir in the mustard and sliced jalapeños, if using.
- Remove from the heat, add the grated and cream cheese together with the nutmeg and cayenne pepper. The cheese will melt in the residual heat of the sauce.
- Taste the sauce; we season with a little salt and lots of ground black pepper. We might even add a bit more mustard and or cheese depending how the sauce tastes.
- Now you can pour the cheese sauce into the dish to cover the cooked pasta. Give it a good stir. If you wish, add breadcrumbs mixed with some fresh herbs just ahead of cooking.
- Place the dish on the grid and cook for about 40 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the top is crisp.
- Once cooked, remove from the heat and serve.
0 Comments