When Erline told me about this White Elephant shindig she was having at her place in San Mateo, I thought, "OO what a perfect opportunity to try out these Fried Mac-n-Cheese Balls." Too bad I didn't read the directions to the recipe until the day of and that's when I realized sometime during the process of making them I would have to store them overnight in the freezer. That was a failure so I decided to make this baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe.
Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis
Ingredients
- Butter, for greasing dish
- 12 ounces wide egg noodles
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta water
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups (packed) grated Fontina
- 3/4 cup (packed) finely grated Parmesan
- 3/4 cup (packed) grated mozzarella
- 4 ounces cooked ham, diced, optional
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.Butter a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Drain well, but do not rinse.
Whisk the cream, milk, flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in large bowl to blend. Stir in 1 cup Fontina, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, ham, if using, and parsley. Add the noodles and toss to coat. Transfer the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Toss the remaining 1 cup Fontina, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup mozzarella in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the noodle mixture. Bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese melts and begins to brown on top, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Review
Wow, it was just perfect. I couldn't find regular Fontina cheese, but the smoked Fontina added this new flavor to the recipe that I did not expect and it fit in well. At first I was not going to add the ham, but it was pretty good in the end. I might substitute for something else like bacon. Or maybe I can make it Filipino Mac-n-Cheese and add tocino or longanisa, hahahaha. Also, because the Fontina was a pricier than the Parmesan and Mozarella, I might consider changing the ratio so I don't have to buy so much Fontina. And I might add a kick to it because I love spice. Maybe Paprika and Pepper Jack? Mmmm, sounds delicious already.The only thing was that I wish it was freshly cooked right out of the oven, so it wouldn't be as chunky. I had to cook it 5 hours earlier than the party because I had to tutor before and I did not have time to go back home and cook it. But otherwise, it was great. It sounded like a hit because some of the people there were raving about it. I always love Erline's reactions because you can really tell when she loves a dish, like the Chicken Tortilla Soup I cooked a while back.
With the leftovers I took home, it seemed like the Mac-n-Cheese got better with age because after microwaving it, it still tasted as good as the first day.
I am definitely going to make it for Brown Carabao when I go back to SD.
