Macaroni cheese

[HaroldMeeker]

Can anyone share their absolutely perfect, would die for a serving, recipe for macaroni cheese please?

I make my own, and whilst it's okay, it's not divine. I make a basic white sauce, add cheddar, add cooked macaroni and then bake it in the oven for 20 mins or so to thicken. It's just......basic. And pretty damn boring. Even a lot of cheese leaves it less cheesy than I think it should be. Is there a secret I'm missing? Anyone?

Delia has a souffle macaroni recipe that's nice, but I wouldnt really compare it to normal macaroni. It's also quite a faff and expensive to make.

Other options are adding wholegrain mustard, red onion, garlic, sliced beef tomatoes on the top, having it in a toastie.

Delia also does a version with eggs. It’s a faff but it’s very nice. She separates eggs and adds the yolks to the cheese sauce, then the whisked stiff whites at the end. It’s a ‘special’!

www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/pasta-recipes/souffled-macaroni-cheese?amp

I like a really cheesy, tangy sauce so I use the sauce recipe from the smitten kitchen site for cauliflower cheese*. Combine with the slightly undercooked pasta and a tiny splash of cooking water for smoothness, then bake in an over proof dish. Sometimes I rub the inside of the dish with a cut clove of garlic as well, it adds just the right level of garlic for me.

To be honest a lot of the time I don't bake it. And quite often I top my bowl of cheesy pasta with a bit of extra Parmesan .

*I know it's an American site but t's actually a very good recipe apart from the bit where she sticks it in the oven. NO! Everyone knows this makes the cauliflower leak and the sauce watery. Always under the grill, never baked.

We don't use macaroni either, we use spirali or fusilli at a push.

If you want to try a classic Southern US style mac and cheese, this is a good example. It has a savory egg custard base, which is traditional in the Southern US.

www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Southern-Style-Macaroni-and-Cheese/

Bacon lardons crispy
Cauliflower steamed
Macaroni

For the sauce:
Milk
Chicken stock cube
Mascarpone
Cheddar

Parmesan and breadcrumbs topping

Gruyère cheese and no mustard

Well, I think we've confirmed we all love macaroni cheese!
The Barbados recipe was excellent, adding rhe tomato ketchup into the sauce was genius. However, neither of us much liked the egg bring in there as it kind of curdled. It was okay, still very tasty, but I shall leave the egg out next time. OH is not a mustard fan so half the time I make it without - I think the bacon or chorizo would make up any flavour deficiencies in this case.
Thank you!

Everyone loves it… we once had an office picnic and everyone had to bring a ‘regional’ dish.

I didn’t bring macaroni cheese - but we had American, Albanian and Caribbean versions. I was in hog heaven.

I make my sauce in the microwave. Then add it to macaroni. Add some ham chunks (or king prawns ) cheese on top. Bake in the oven

Add a couple of cloves of crushed garlic to the butter when you're melting it to make the white sauce. It really gives it a lift. I also always use mustard and nutmeg.

www.recipetineats.com/baked-mac-and-cheese/#wprm-recipe-container-20506

This is the base for mine. Sometimes I add Worcestershire sauce as well as the onion, garlic and mustard powder, sometimes I add chopped fried bacon or chopped salami.

I use up all the old cheeses in the fridge, never less than 4, but one is ALWAYS a big block of cream cheese, it just ties everything together well. I also put in a dollop of sour cream. My friend adds onion to the pasta, (boiled...) which I like but my kids don’t. Crushed ritz crackers and grated cheese (and a little butter) makes the best topping!

I don't know the quantities as it varies for how many people. I just add until it's the right consistency:

Boil macaroni
(This should take the same time as the sauce)
Knob of butter in very large saucepan on low heat.
Add finely chopped red onion (1 for 4 people)
Saute until soft.
Add in one dessertspoon of flour and quickly whisk for a second before adding milk (take this out of the fridge well beforehand so it's not too cold).
Add teaspoon of wholegrain mustard.
Keep adding flour/ milk and grated mature cheddar (I prefer coloured so the sauce isn't too white) and whisk with a balloon whisk continuously until it's a nice smooth consistency and you have enough for the pasta. (Don't leave it!)
(I use a whole block of cheese for 4 people)
Thoroughly drain the pasta (I put it through the colander 3 times to make sure there's no excess water as this dilutes the sauce).
Add the pasta to the big pan of sauce and continue to stir.
Serve straight into pasta bowls with slices of buttered white toast and some grated cheese on top.
(I see no need to bake it!)

10 mins all done but the kitchen is a riot!

Whole grain French mustard, a tiny splash of white wine in the sauce if you have any open. A variety of cheeses if you can. Most importantly, VERY finely sliced spring onion added to the sauce after cooking. And add the cooked pasta to the sauce rather than the other way round so you can keep an eye on the ratio. I like it more sloppy, like a risotto, rather than basically loads of pasta with a smear of sauce on each.

Try roasting some halved cherry tomatoes with balsamic for the side! Drooling now.

I might be the exception to the everyone loves it rule as it's one thing we never, ever have. I was put off by revolting school dinner versions with slimy tomato on top of bland cheese sauce and no one in my family (DH and teen DCs) has ever cooked it or requested it but some of these sound lovely, I might have to give it a go.

Look up soubise sauce. I made the best ever cheese sauce using this. It's just onions cooked down until they are extremely soft and browned, but it makes the best cheese sauce ever. I only ever made it once because it took a long time, but you could probably make a huge batch of onions and then freeze in small portions.

I'd love that but sadly, Oh and onions don't get on and I'd be kept awake all night with the massive burps he does (assuming he'd even eat it).

I tend to make it up as I go along so no recipe as such, but always put a bit of mustard in & few different cheeses (whatever we have in). Sometimes add chorizo / bacon / ham / sweetcorn / cauliflower / chopped pepper - again, whatever needs using up.

I prefer oven baked with a crispy topping - breadcrumbs / crisps / just lots of browned cheese but DS prefers it the consistency of tinned macaroni cheese. He loves this one in the instant pot: www.feistytapas.com/2015/12/jaysons-pressure-cooked-mac-and-cheese-with-instant-pot-instructions/

www.thechunkychef.com/family-favorite-baked-mac-and-cheese/

Soooo good!!

The best recipe I've used was from a deli Ina Garten visited in one of her Barefoot Contessa programmes. Wracking my brain to remember the name of the place, but you can order online from them. It uses 12oz of cheese to around 9oz dry weight pasta - mainly mature cheddar and some Monterey Jack and a bit of garlic powder and chipotle chilli powder. Those two ingredients really enhance the cheesiness. I top it with panko mixed with some of the cheese and some chopped parsley.

Oh and I've done the Feisty Tapas Instant Pot version and used Boursin with black pepper instead of cream cheese because I had it in and it was really good.

‘Lots’ of extra mature Cheddar, enough salt and *white pepper in the sauce, plus a good dollop of English mustard. Never any other mustard.
Breadcrumbs and extra grated cheese on top, whack under the grill to brown.

I also do this as a macaroni/cauliflower cheese combo.
*white just to avoid a speckled sauce.

Recipes IMO hardly ever stipulate enough cheese, and don’t always mention the mustard. Colman’s is the best.

Don't bake it. Mostly cook the pasta and add it to your cheese (and mustard) sauce, top with breadcrumbs and Parmesan then under a hot grill. I quite like adding some sliced pickled onions in there too.

Add a dash of sherry (or white wine, but sherry better).