Macaroni and Cheese

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Serves: 4

TASTE OF CATER CARE FACT

With its origins in Italy, the dish of macaroni and cheese has been around since the late 13th century. In 1937, the Kraft Company in America famously put macaroni and cheese into a box and sold 9 million that year. Today, it sells more than 1 million boxes a day! In recent years it has become incredibly fashionable with many high-end restaurants offering their interpretation of the dish. This recipe incorporates crisp shards of bacon, smoked paprika, 3 kinds of cheese, and shallots to give the dish a delicious contemporary twist.

INGREDIENTS

• As required – Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray
• 5 Rindless Bacon Rashers – remove excess fat and cut into a 1cm dice.
• 35gm Unsalted Butter
• 11⁄2 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 25gm Plain Flour
• 600ml Full Cream Milk
• 3 stems Shallot (use green stem only) – finely slice
• 25gm Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 35gm Grated Mozzarella Cheese
• 110gm Grated Cheddar Cheese
• 235gm Macaroni – cook as per manufacturer’s instructions, drain, refresh under cold running water and drain again.
• To taste – Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 40gm Grated Parmesan Cheese
• As required – Smoked Paprika
• 40gm Grated Mozzarella Cheese
• 40gm Grated Cheddar Cheese

METHOD

1. Preheat an oven to a moderate temperature – 160°C.
2. Over a moderate heat, in a saucepan, lightly spray oil, then add the bacon and sauté, stirring regularly until it is lightly browned and crisp. Remove the bacon from the saucepan and set to one side.
3. Using the same saucepan, add the butter, allow it to melt and reach a gentle bubble. Then add the first quantity of smoked paprika and sauté for 1 minute or until fragrant.
4. Add the flour and cook out, stirring continuously for 2 minutes without colouring the flour.
5. Gradually add the milk in small quantities, incorporating it into the flour with a wooden spoon. When all of the milk has been incorporated, whisk thoroughly to remove any lumps. Bring the sauce up to the boil, then reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer and cook, whisking regularly for 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and there is no taste of flour evident in the sauce.
6. Add half of the cooked bacon, the shallots and first quantity of the parmesan, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Mix until the cheeses have melted and the sauce has a smooth consistency, then remove the saucepan from the heat.
7. In a mixing bowl, add the cooked macaroni and cheese sauce, then mix to combine and season to taste.
8. Place the mac and cheese into a suitably sized baking dish. If required, evenly smooth out its surface, then sprinkle it with the remainder of the bacon and the second quantity of the parmesan, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses.
9. Bake Mac and Cheese in an oven for 15 minutes or until the cheeses have melted and are a golden brown in colour.

TO SERVE

Lightly dust the mac and cheese with smoked paprika.