Five Cheese Mac and Cheese
The five cheeses give this mac and cheese extra taste and smoothness. The peppers spice it up a bit and add color. Leaving out the peppers will still produce a very tasty favorite. If the peppers are omitted I like to add a little onion (about 1/3 cup).
The five cheeses give this mac and cheese extra taste and smoothness. The peppers spice it up a bit and add color. Leaving out the peppers will still produce a very tasty favorite. If the peppers are omitted I like to add a little onion (about 1/3 cup).
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1 each red bell pepper cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 each hatch or jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped
- 2 clove garlic cut in half
- 1/2 cup panko japanese breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- cheese mixture
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated divide in half
- 1/2 cup brie cheese
- 1/2 cup mozzarella grated
- 1/2 cup swiss cheese grated
- 8 ounce shell or gemelli pasta cooked to tender but very firm
- Carbohydrate 44.2841200000715 g
- Cholesterol 75.3460000015498 mg
- Fat 24.6303216671705 g
- Fiber 2.0058333047231 g
- Protein 20.820496667344 g
- Saturated Fat 14.044106833638 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (155g)
- Sodium 533.910833360261 mg
- Sugar 42.2782866953484 g
- Trans Fat 2.93445783336435 g
- Calories 478 calories
Step-by-step
- Bring 1/2 cup water, bell pepper, and 1 1/2 garlic cloves to boil in small saucepan. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pepper is soft, about 15 minutes.
- Toast pando in skillet over medium-high heat until holder, stirring often, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to bowl; cool to lukewarm. Rub 1 tablespoon warm better into crumbs to coat. Mix in 1/4 cup Parmesan.
- Transfer cooled bell pepper mixture to processor. Add 2 tablespoons butter, chopped Hatch pepper, and 1/2 garlic clove; then add Swiss cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Blend until sauce is smooth; season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Butter 8-cup baking dish (or 6 individual dishes). Cook pasta in pot of boiling water until tender but still firm to bite. drain; return to pot. stir sauce, Mozzarella and Mascarpone into pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon past into dish. Sprinkle with crumb topping
- Bake pasta until topping is crisp and sauce is bubbling, about 25 minutes (15 for individual). Let stand 10 minutes.
Reheating and Second-Day Transformations
Refrigerated dairy starches retrograde quickly, causing leftover pasta to seize and harden within 24 to 48 hours. Reviving chilled portions requires adding two tablespoons of whole milk per cup of pasta before covering the vessel tightly with foil. Bake the covered dish at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, removing the barrier during the final five minutes to restore the crispness of the breadcrumb crust.
Cheese Selection and Emulsification Physics
Blending high-moisture cheeses like fresh mozzarella and brie with aged varieties such as parmesan creates distinct textural challenges due to varying melting points. Shredding block cheeses manually instead of purchasing pre-bagged varieties eliminates anti-caking cellulose powders that interfere with smooth sauce emulsification. Incorporating mascarpone provides a high fat-to-moisture ratio that stabilizes the sauce matrix when subjected to oven temperatures reaching 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
