Millionaire's Mac & Cheese

School has been totally kicking my butt, and I have been pretty much a hermit, cuddling up exclusively to my books and laptop. But after handing in an essay I decided enough was enough, I missed my friends and I wanted to know EVERYTHING that was going on in their hectic lives. We caught up on the past couple of weeks over good food, good company and good wine.

Cheesey/Champagne-y/Truffle-y Conchigle....

It has been so bitterly cold in London with sub-zero temperatures. All of this windchill has created a serious longing for some comfort food. KCH and I have been whipping up our jazzed up version of the humble Mac & Cheese for a while, and it has been a staple of our dinner parties. Knowing this recipe quite literally off by heart, I decided the MMC deserved an outing.

This recipe is super easy and is a surefire crowd pleaser. The simple addition of truffles truly elevates this dish and adds a richness that complements the creaminess (and cheesiness!) so well… It is a truly decadent treat, so I opted to serve this alongside some crispy salad leaves.

            500g dried pasta of choice (I used conchigle)

            3 tbsp flour

            3 tbsp butter

            2 cups milk

            1 cup bubbly (I used Prosecco, but feel free to use champagne)

            1 cup Mascarpone cheese

            1 tsp ground nutmeg

            2 tbsp truffle oil

            1 tbsp chopped up truffles

            1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

            1 garlic clove
            zest of 1 lemon

            few knobs of butter

Start off by cooking the pasta according to the instructions, not forgetting that big pinch of salt of course! Once cooked, drain the pasta, and drain it very well and leave to the side. Then onto the cheesy white sauce: in a saucepan melt the butter and add the flour, whisk the two together so that a paste is formed. Cook this paste for a little bit (a little brown and lumpy) before adding the milk and bubbly. The milk should be very cold and once added to the roux, should be vigorously whisked. Keep whisking and cooking the sauce until it becomes thick before adding the cheese, nutmeg, truffle oil and chopped up truffle. Add the pasta to the cheese sauce and mix so that the sauce is evenly spread, then pour this mixture into an ovenproof dish. 

In a food processor, blitz the fresh breadcrumbs with the garlic clove and lemon zest. Top the Mac&Cheese with this breadcrumb mixture and dot a few pieces of butter around the top of the dish. Place this dish under a hot grill and allow the breadcrumbs to go brown and the sauce to go bubbly… serve hot & enjoy!

...Apparently the treat was even better after a few champagne cocktails... with ketchup of course!!