I confess that I am addicted to Tastespotting, and recently, Smitten Kitchen. Blog owner Deb is a genius, and the photos displayed are stunning and mouthwatering. I have seen many macaroni and cheese recipes in various blogs, but none looked as good (and as simple) as the one done by Deb. I decided to try it out last weekend, and cook it for Mr DoubleChin.
The macaroni and cheese turned out slightly too dry for our liking. I made a mental note to add more milk and cottage cheese in future, as well as less cheddar. I would also like to experiment with different types of cheese and see whether they will be as good too. As I did not have any freshly ground black pepper on hand, I added garlic pepper instead. The pinch of cayenne pepper as recommended did not have any impact on the dish as well. I would add more next time to give the dish abit of heat. Perhaps my oven is too hot, I baked my macaroni uncovered on the middle rack instead for only 20 minutes. Do check the oven regularly (10 min intervals) after taking off the aluminium foil. We had a lovely poolside picnic with the mac & cheese, fried chicken and fries. The weather was cool and windy, I certainly don’t mind doing this again soon!
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cup cottage cheese (not lowfat)
2 1/4 cups milk (not skim)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic pepper
1 pound sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
250g elbow pasta, uncooked.
1. Heat oven to 190 degreesC and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use 1 tablespoon butter to butter a 10-inch round baking dish.
2. In a blender,add cottage cheese, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and salt and pepper together. Blend until smooth. Then add in milk and blend till combined. Reserve a little over 1/4 cup of the grated cheese and set aside. In a large bowl, combine remaining grated cheese, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.
3. Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.
