Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
· 1/4 Cup Butter
· 1/4 Cup Flour
· 2 Cups Milk
· 1 Oignon Piqué (bay leaf attached to a ½ onion with a clove)
· Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste
· Pinch Fresh Grated Nutmeg
· 8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
· 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded
· 1 Box Small Pasta (such as ditalini), cooked according to package directions
· 2 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs
· 1 Stick Butter, melted
· 2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, grated
Directions
1. Heat 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour; cook and stir to form a paste, about 2 minutes. Cook until flour turns white. Slowly add in milk, whisking thoroughly after each addition. Add oignon piqué, and simmer on low until thickened. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in cheeses, a little at a time, until combined. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
2. Toss pasta with cheese sauce. Place in a wide, shallow dish.
In a medium saute pan, toast bread crumbs with butter until golden brown. Mix with parmesan and spread over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Eat immediately or toast breadcrumbs further in the broiler.
Fresh Pasta
Ingredients
· 1 Pound All Purpose Flour
· 1 cup Eggs (4-5)
· 1/2 oz. Olive Oil
· Water as needed
Directions
1. Mound the flour on a work surface. Make a well in the center and add the eggs, oil, and salt. Working from the center outward, gradually mix the flour into the eggs to make a dough.
3. When it is firm enough to knead, begin kneading the dough, incorporating more flour. If the dough is still sticky when all the flour is incorporated, add more flour, a little at a time. Knead in a stand mixer for at least 15 minutes.
4. Cover the dough and let it rest at least 30 minutes.
5. Cut the dough into 3-5 pieces. Set the rollers of a pasta machine at the widest opening. Pass the pieces of dough through the machine, folding them in thirds after each pass and dusting them lightly with flour to keep them from getting sticky. Continue passing each piece through the machine until it is smooth.
6. Working with one piece of dough at a time, decrease the width between the rollers one notch and pass the dough through them again. After each pass, turn the rollers one notch narrower, dust the dough with flour, and pass it through again. Continue until the dough is as thin as desired. The pasta is now ready to cut into desired shapes or cook.