Mini Macaroni & Cheese All'Italiana
Macaroni and cheese is the quintessential comfort-food supper; this version, while even simpler to make than the nursery staple, is altogether more elevated. The cheese sauce is almost instant: no roux at its base, just grated cheese mixed with a little cornstarch whisked into wine-lightened chicken broth. The broth base stops the sauce — with its three cheeses and truffle butter or oil — from becoming unmanageably rich; the portion size helps, too. My decision to bake the pasta in little ramekins was originally made to speed up cooking time, certainly not to be chichi. Indeed, I usually avoid the individual-portion approach, feeling it not suited to eating at home. Here it works: cute meets cozy and becomes chic. Of course, it's partly the pennette that make it — think enchanting little pixie penne — but if you can't find them, use the small bulging crescents that are chifferi, or indeed regular elbow macaroni, instead.
Macaroni and cheese is the quintessential comfort-food supper; this version, while even simpler to make than the nursery staple, is altogether more elevated. The cheese sauce is almost instant: no roux at its base, just grated cheese mixed with a little cornstarch whisked into wine-lightened chicken broth. The broth base stops the sauce — with its three cheeses and truffle butter or oil — from becoming unmanageably rich; the portion size helps, too. My decision to bake the pasta in little ramekins was originally made to speed up cooking time, certainly not to be chichi. Indeed, I usually avoid the individual-portion approach, feeling it not suited to eating at home. Here it works: cute meets cozy and becomes chic. Of course, it's partly the pennette that make it — think enchanting little pixie penne — but if you can't find them, use the small bulging crescents that are chifferi, or indeed regular elbow macaroni, instead.
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- soft butter for ramekins
- 1 cup gruyere grated
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella (not buffalo) chopped
- 8 ounces pennette, chifferi or elbow macaroni
- salt for pasta water to taste
- 1/4 cup dry white vermouth or wine
- 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup mascarpone
- 1 teaspoon truffle butter/paste or a few drops truffle oil
- 3 tablespoons parmesan grated
- white pepper fresh ground, to taste
- Carbohydrate 1.24206222176755 g
- Cholesterol 33.6233333333333 mg
- Fat 10.2234655556278 g
- Fiber 0.00599999983598218 g
- Protein 7.44295666689548 g
- Saturated Fat 5.87203533333328 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (139g)
- Sodium 339.136777952138 mg
- Sugar 1.23606222193157 g
- Trans Fat 0.914616222294717 g
- Calories 126 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, or heat the broiler.
- Butter the 6 ramekins, and put a pot of water on to heat for the pasta.
- While you're waiting for the water to come to a boil, toss the grated Gruyere with the cornstarch in a bowl, and chop the mozzarella and let it stand somewhere to lose any excess liquid.
- Salt the water once it's boiling, and cook the pennette until on the firm side of al dente: Read package instructions and start checking 3 minutes before the pasta is meant to be ready.
- Meanwhile, heat the vermouth (or wine) in a saucepan big enough to hold the pasta later, and let it come to a boil before adding the chicken broth. Let it come to a bubble again, then take it off the heat and whisk in the cornstarch-tossed Gruyere. The cheese will melt into a mass of gooey cheese strings.
- Add the mascarpone to the pan and whisk again, then add the truffle butter/paste or oil — go slowly and taste — stirring it into the sauce.
- Tip the cooked, drained pasta into the sauce and stir to coat. Then tumble in the chopped mozzarella, and stir again so that it is distributed throughout.
- Ladle the cheesy pasta into the ramekins, trying to get an even amount of pasta and sauce in each. The sauce will seem very liquid but don't panic, as the pasta sucks it up in the oven. Sprinkle the Parmesan on top, dividing it equally between the 6 ramekins, and give a good grinding of white pepper to each one. Don't worry if black pepper is all you've got. It's more a matter of aesthetics (mine) than taste.
- Bake for 10 minutes in the hot oven, or broil until golden on top, and let stand for 5 minutes, at least, before eating.
Substituting dry white vermouth for standard cooking wine introduces essential botanical bitterness that cuts through heavy dairy fats without curdling. Simmering the alcohol before adding the chicken broth evaporates harsh ethanol notes, leaving behind clean acidity necessary for emulsion stability. Tossing the grated Gruyère in dry cornstarch coats the protein strands, preventing the cheese from clumping into a greasy mass when introduced to hot liquids. Chopping the fresh mozzarella and draining it on paper towels removes excess whey that would otherwise water down the baking sauce.
Scaling down the portions into six individual buttered ramekins dramatically increases the surface-to-volume ratio, yielding a higher proportion of golden, crisp crust relative to creamy interior noodles. Baking at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for precisely 10 minutes creates bubbling edges without overcooking the pasta inside. Letting the ramekins rest for 5 minutes post-bake allows the starches to finish absorbing remaining liquids so the sauce holds its shape upon spooning. White pepper provides subtle warmth while maintaining a clean aesthetic across the melted Parmesan crust.
