Monday, November 24, 2008

Rachael Ray's Mac and Cheese Lorraine

We had this for dinner this week and it was yummy! I actually burned the onions (I only used 1/2 of an onion anyway), so we left those out and we used shells for the pasta. Oh, and I just used some extra chicken stock instead of dry white wine. The Gruyere was yummy, but took a few bites for me to get used to. I'm sure you could use cheddar if you wanted too. It warmed up well for leftovers too. I stored the bacon separate. The recipe is from Rachael Ray's Just in Time cookbook and is a 30 minute meal.

Salt
1 pound gemelli pasta or other short cut pasta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1/2 pound bacon, chopped
2 onions, quartered and thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup whole milk
Black pepper
2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
A little freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1 rounded tablespoon Dijon mustard

Preparation
Heat water for pasta, salt water and cook pasta to al dente.
While pasta water comes to boil, heat the EVOO, one turn of the pan, in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. When EVOO is hot, add bacon and crisp, 5-6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain off some of the fat if you have more than 2-3 tablespoons. Add onions and cook for 10 minutes, until soft and beginning to caramelize. Add wine and cook out, 1 minute.
While onions cook, heat a saucepot over medium heat. Add butter, melt, then whisk in flour. Cook for 1 minute, then whisk in chicken stock and milk and bring to a bubble. Thicken for a few minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Melt in cheese, stirring it in a figure eight motion with wooden spoon. Add nutmeg and mustard and adjust salt and pepper.
Drain pasta, toss with onions and stir in cheese sauce to coat. Top with crispy bacon and serve.

No comments: