Tonight's Dinner: 3-Cheese Macaroni & Cheese

I pulled the original recipe off the internet from TV Food Network's website. I had seen the dish on the Diners, Drive-ins & Dives show and it looked so good.

I adapted it a bit to go with what I had on-hand or what I could get. This was absolutely the best mac & cheese I've ever made from scratch, and I've tried a lot of recipes.

The cheese sauce came out perfect, and it was the tastiest sauce I've ever made. I used a medium sized nonstick skillet to make the sauce because it seemed to be the size that would fit all that cheese sauce and it would be easy to clean.

This was so good I had to pass it on. This is my version of their recipe. So good.

                     *  Exported from  MasterCook  *

                       3-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe By     : adapted from The Eveready Diner, Hyde Park, NY
Serving Size  : 4    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Main Dish                        Pasta

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   1      tablespoon    salt -- plus more for pasta
                        water
   1      pound         Dreamfields Elbow Macaroni*
   3      tablespoons   butter
   3      tablespoons   olive oil
   6      tablespoons   all-purpose flour
   3      cups          milk
   1      cup           heavy cream
   1      tablespoon    freshly ground black pepper
   1      pound         white Cheddar** -- shredded
   4      ounces        Romano -- shredded
   4      ounces        Asiago -- shredded
   2      cups          whole wheat panko bread crumbs***

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In large pot filled with water add 3 pinches of salt and the macaroni and place over high heat. Bring to a boil and let cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Sprinkle flour over butter and cook 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat, whisking until a roux or paste forms. Add cold milk and whisk vigorously until dissolved. Cook sauce on medium-low heat until thick and bubbly. Add heavy cream, all cheeses, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper. Cook until cheeses are fully melted, stirring occasionally.

Add cooked macaroni to cheese mixture and mix thoroughly. Place macaroni mixture in a 13 by 9 baking dish and top with bread crumbs. Place in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Top with fresh parsley and serve.

 

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NOTES : Risa's notes:

* I used Dreamfields Elbow Macaroni which is a low carb product. If you don't have it, use regular elbow mac.
** I used a really good Irish Cheddar as I find most domestic products aren't that flavorful.
*** I can find whole wheat panko crumbs (Ian's is the company name) but if you can't, then use regular panko crumbs which can be found pretty easily at supermarkets these days, OR online.

served with fried brussel sprouts with garlic (under a different name in the archives - Dana's Fried Brussel Sprouts or something like that.
http://www.geocities.com/radiorlg

tvfoodnetwork.com

Show:  Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
Episode:  Local Legends

Recipe courtesy Costa Vanikiotis at Eveready Diner, Hyde Park, NY