I am a self-taught cook and I still make little mistakes from time to time. Sometimes I miss a step or two but the dish turns out okay. Other times, I do everything right, following each and every direction but the dish doesn’t turn out like the picture. I am okay admitting these things and if this resonates with you – you should be too!
Since we are being totally honest here, Grandma Julia’s cheesecake from my last post took 4 tries before I got it right. And even then, the top cracked. Why it took me four tries will always be a mystery to me because I am pretty sure I carefully followed the directions each time. The first two times, it didn’t cook through, and I kept returning it to the oven so many times, I finally gave up. The third time, the cake would not come out of the pan, it was a total mess. I carefully went over the instructions with Shelley, and she couldn’t figure out why either!
In addition to making mistakes that I am unaware of, sometimes I also deliberately change ingredients in a recipe. For example, while this recipe calls for Velveeta cheese which is a processed cheese, I just couldn’t bring myself to add it in. I changed it to a fresh cheese, Fontina.
There is something so comforting about a warm bowl of creamy, cheesy pasta. This mac and cheese is by far the best I have had. It has a few surprising ingredients in it that makes it so delectable. This was the first recipe I have made that included mayonnaise and ricotta cheese. The béchamel sauce, combined with the 3 different kinds of cheese and mayonnaise make it creamy, sweet and flavorful. The cheese was gooey in the middle and crisp at the top. The panko is crisped to perfection, making this dish amazingly decadent.
This recipe is courtesy of Southern Living and will serve 6-8 people who will savour each warm gooey bite.
Ingredients for Mac and Cheese with Crispy Breadcrumbs:
12 ounces uncooked large elbow macaroni
1/4 cup salted butter
3/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped (2 to 3 garlic cloves)
2 cups whole milk
8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
6 ounces Fontina cheese, shredded
1 cup mayonnaise (such as Dukes)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups panko
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Prepare pasta according to package directions; set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
Add onion and cook, stirring until just beginning to turn brown, 4 to 5 minutes.
Add flour and garlic to skillet; cook, stirring until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add milk; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low.
Gradually add Cheddar and Fontina cheese, whisking until melted.
Remove from the heat.
Stir in cooked pasta, mayonnaise, salt and 1/2 of the parsley.
Ina small bowl, stir together the ricotta and egg.
Gently stir ricotta mixture into pasta mixture, leaving large swirls.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, stir together panko, melted butter, and remaining parsley until blended.
Top pasta with prepared panko mixture and bake until top is lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
It’s that simple!
