I love adding shallots, garlic and bacon to a mac-n-cheese dish for a whole ‘nother level of cheesy epicness. For example, when you order a pizza…the cheese tastes amazing with all of those contrasting flavors - onions, herbs, etc. You really wanna think about the flavors that compliment cheese overall, and try to apply that to your mac-n-cheese dish. Some cheese are very salty on their own, but that’s about it. Seasoning, where art thou? No matter what cheese you use, it needs a bit of help with some seasoning. I encourage you to try different cheeses until you find a blend that best suits your ultimate mac-n-cheese experience. Colby-jack is another great cheese, but if you want dramatic stringy cheese action, try whole milk mozzarella, monterey-jack, provolone, etc. Sometimes I only use fontina and gruyere - it really depends on what I’m craving. Smoked gouda isn’t very creamy on it’s own, so it absolutely needs to be paired with something and cheddar is always a great choice. Sometimes I only use cheddar and smoked gouda, another delicious pair - especially during BBQ season. I love adding the Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino-Romano to the béchamel sauce as a flavorful and slightly salty base, then tossing in the other cheeses with the coated pasta to be baked off. Those are my favorite cheeses because they all compliment each other extremely well, and melt together into this harmonious concoction of pure dairy lust. My usual starting-5 cheeses are Cheddar (any variety), Gruyere, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, and Fontina. You can use regular elbow macaroni, but try stepping outside the box once in a while □ Preferred Cheeses They hold onto the cheese sauce better and have openings big enough for that creamy cheese sauce to seep thru. Elbow macaroni rigate, penne rigate, and cavatappi pasta are my top go-to choices. I absolutely love using pasta with the ridges. If you aren’t used to real cheese, you probably won’t appreciate the rusticity of this authentic bounty of cheesy goodness…ok? Are we clear? Because this is some real sh*t, but before I get into it, here are a few notes… Preferred Pasta This isn’t some waxy boxed mac-n-cheese, people. It’s super easy to do, but a little intimidating if you’re not used to cooking. I saw him do it this way and it’s been my go-to method ever since, especially when I’m feeding more than 5 people. You can find this method just about everywhere, and I got my inspiration from watching Emeril Live back in the day. It’s the classic “ béchamel (cheese sauce) + pasta + more cheese + breadcrumb” method. There are 3 distinct ways I prepare my macaroni and cheese. It’s totally worth the effort to make again and again. It does take patience and practice, so don’t get frustrated if you don’t get it right the first time. I didn’t nail my own macaroni and cheese until maybe the 5th time I made it. I’ve had so many terrible versions made by others…super soggy overcooked pasta, clumpy bland cheese, dry and flavorless…the list goes on. Macaroni and cheese is one of those dishes that seems super easy to make, but many people can’t get it right. I kinda get why…not too many people hate macaroni and cheese. The cheesier and creamier, the better, yes? But it’s not a big deal if you don’t add it – it will still be amazingly delicious.*cracks knuckles* This may be the most requested recipe ever. Why “special”, you ask? Because for me, adding the spreadable cream cheese makes a huge difference to the sauce. I also add creamy sauce on top which has a “special” ingredient and that’s the spreadable cream cheese. Some cooks use sweetened condensed milk or sugar, but I don’t usually add it. In my version, I used the usual Filipino ingredients that are also used in Pinoy spaghetti: pouched sweet style spaghetti sauce, banana ketchup, and hotdogs. Although each cook has his/her version, I don’t think there is a huge difference. Pinoy Style Baked Macaroni is a Filipino version of baked macaroni. The differences were: (1) I used macaroni, and (2) I baked this one, although this dish can be left unbaked (more details below). This pasta dish is very similar to my Filipino Spaghetti with Creamy White Sauce. Why would I wait for this year’s Christmas and New Year’s holidays when this is amazing to have even when there’s no occasion, too? So, by the time I had a chance, I made this one and was to excited to share it with you. Due to the things that kept me busy – work, life, blogging – I didn’t make it in time. I wanted to make and share my version of Pinoy Style Baked Macaroni before the Christmas and New Year’s holidays last year.
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