Baked Apple Mac And Cheese Food

BAKED APPLE MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• 1. Ingredients: 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni 1 1/2 medium Michigan Red Delicious apples 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 cup whole or 2% milk 1 cup half-and-half 1 1/2 cups grated mild Wisconsin cheddar cheese 1 cup grated sharp Pinconning cheese Extra virgin olive oil Lemon juice Kosher salt Fresh ground pepper Extra unsalted butter Extra unpeeled apples for garnish
• 2. Equipment: 1 8 x 8 (1/2 quart) glass casserole dish 6 or 8 quart pot Large colander Small bowl Large mixing bowl Medium saucepan
• 3. Directions: Use some of the extra butter to butter the inside bottom and sides of the glass casserole dish and set it aside.
• 4. Put about 4 quarts of water in the pot, add a tablespoon or so of the olive oil to the water, and set the heat to medium-high. Wait for the water to heat to a roiling boil. Once the water is boiling, add the uncooked macaroni to it. Cook the noodles about 7 minutes until they?re al dente. (Taste one to make sure! Stoves that run hot could mess this up.) Place the colander in a sink. Drain the macaroni in the colander, tossing it to ensure all water is out from inside all the noodles. Dump the drained noodles into a large mixing bowl and set it aside to cool a bit. (The oil you added to the water should help prevent the noodles from sticking together as they cool.)
• 5. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Peel and core the apples and cut them into wedges about 1/4 inch thick at the outside, placing the wedges into the small bowl. Sprinkle the apple wedges with some of the lemon juice. Toss the apple wedges and lemon juice by hand so the wedges are completely coated. Add the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to the apple wedges and again toss them by hand. Sniff them to ensure a good apple pie aroma. Set them aside.
• 6. Make sure the flour, milk and half-and-half are measured out, and are readily available in dishes by the stove prior to starting the next steps.
• 7. Put the 2 tablespoons of butter in the medium saucepan, set it for low heat and gently let the butter melt. As soon as the butter is melted, slowly add the flour, stirring the mixture constantly until it?s quite smooth. (Yes, you've made a roux.) Gradually stir in the milk and the half-and-half.
• 8. Continue to cook this mixture, stirring it constantly, until it boils and thickens. (This should only take about 2 minutes. Yes, you've made a simple white sauce.) Remove the sauce from the heat. Add the grated Pinconning cheese and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese. Stir this gently until all the cheese is melted and the overall sauce is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste (but not too much!).
• 9. In the large mixing bowl, gently (so the apple wedges stay intact and you don't cut any of the noodles) toss the seasoned apple wedges in with the cooked macaroni. Fold the cheese sauce into the mixture of macaroni and apples, continuing a gentle folding until all the noodles and apples are covered. Pour the completed mixture into the buttered glass dish. Top the mixture with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and dot it all by cutting about 2 tablespoons of the extra butter into little pieces and placing them on top of the mixture.
• 10. Bake the completed dish uncovered in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes until the top cheese is melted and is a golden brown. Pull it out of the oven and let it stand 5 minutes so the cheese will finish setting.
• 11. Serve with a garnish of fresh apple wedges to help clean up any leftover cheese sauce on the plate after eating.
• 12. Author's Notes: 1. Make sure to use a sweet type of apple this. Tart apples, such as Granny Smith's that are normally used for apple pies, won't compliment the flavors of the cheeses correctly and will certainly sour the dish. 2. We used a sharp Pinconning with a mild Wisconsin cheddar so they offset each other's "bite". If you and yours really like sharp cheeses, go ahead and use sharp for both, or even extra-sharp if that's what you enjoy. 3. We like using Barilla elbow marcaroni noodles for macaroni and cheese dishes. They have small ridges on the outside that tend to hold more of a sauce than a smooth noodle. 4. Don't use 1% or skim milk for the sauce in this dish. 2% milkfat or higher is necessary for the sauce to develop correctly. 5. If the sauce "breaks" at all during it's preparation, the only thing you can do is dump it and start that portion of the recipe over, going back to washing out the saucepan and melting another 2 tablespoons of butter. Otherwise, the completed dish won't have the desired consistancy. 6. Going somewhere with this dish? Make it up to the point where you've dotted the top of it with butter, then cover it with aluminum foil and transport it. Once you're where you're headed to, take off the foil, then throw it in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F and cook it as described.

APPLE-SAUSAGE MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2 1/2 -quart baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the sausage, mustard powder, cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until the sausage is golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the apple juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 8 more minutes.
• Slowly stir about three-quarters each of the monterey jack and cheddar cheese into the sauce until smooth, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the pasta and sour cream. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the crushed crackers and the remaining cheese. Bake until bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

BAKED APPLE MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• 1. Bring about 4 quarts of water to a full boil, adding a little olive oil to water. Add macaroni and cook about 7 minutes, until al dente. Drain macaroni thoroughly and return to large pot.
• 2. Chop apples into small chunks and place into bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice.Add sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to the apple and toss gently by hand to coat thoroughly. Gently add the apple pieces to the cooked macaroni in big pot.
• 3. Put butter into medium saucepan on low heat. When butter is melted, slowly add flour, stirring constantly till smooth. Gradually stir in milk and half and half. Move heat to medium. Continue cooking, STIRRING CONSTANTLY, till mixture comes to a boil and sauce thickens. Remove from heat.
• 4. Add 1 cup of each of the cheeses, stirring gently until all the cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fold cheese sauce gently into the macaroni/apple mixture, making sure all macaroni and apples are covered.
• 5. Pour complete mixture into buttered baking dish. Top with 1/2 cup cheese and butter pieces. *NOTE: at this point if you like you can cover dish with foil and refrigerate until you're ready to cook it.
• 6. Preheat oven to 350. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 35-40 minutes until cheese is melted and golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving so that cheese can set. Garnish with saved apple wedges.

THE BEST BAKED MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just slightly softened, about 6 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and rinse under cold water.
• Meanwhile, remove the crusts from the bread and cut into 1-inch cubes. Pulse in the food processor until the bread breaks into bean-sized pieces.
• Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, until toasted, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
• Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, mustard powder and cayenne. Cook, whisking constantly, until smooth and slightly golden, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking occasionally, until the sauce begins to boil and thicken, about 7 minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in the fontina, Gruyere and all but 1 1/2 cups of the Cheddar until fully melted. Stir in the pasta, adding the reserved pasta water as needed to make a creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
• Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Brush a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with the melted butter. Spread the pasta mixture in the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining Cheddar evenly over the pasta, then scatter the toasted breadcrumbs on top. Bake until heated through and just bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

BAKED MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender, about 7 minutes; strain well. Transfer the macaroni to a large bowl, add the butter and toss to coat.
• Whisk together the milk, eggs and 2 teaspoons salt in a medium bowl. Add the milk-egg mixture to the macaroni; add the Cheddar and stir until it is evenly distributed. Pour into the prepared casserole dish.
• Bake until the custard is set and the top is browned and bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes.

ALL-CHEDDAR BAKED MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Combine the panko, melted butter and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; set aside.
• Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Drain well and return to the pot.
• Whisk together the cream, mustard, cayenne, eggs, evaporated milk, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl. Reserve 2 cups of the grated Cheddar for topping. Stir the remaining Cheddar into the sauce.
• Pour the cheese mixture into the pot with the macaroni and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is warm but not hot, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and sprinkle evenly with the reserved Cheddar. Top with the breadcrumb mixture.
• Bake until the center of the casserole is set and the top is golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes.

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• For the macaroni: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart casserole dish.
• Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the salt and macaroni. Bring the water back to a boil and cook the macaroni until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain well.
• For the cheese sauce: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 1-quart saucepan. Using a wire whisk, stir in the flour and salt, stirring and cooking over medium heat until the roux bubbles and the flour turns pale brown, about 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the milk and then whisk in the remaining 1 cup milk. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Add the cheese and stir until it melts. Add the drained macaroni to the cheese sauce and mix thoroughly.
• For the topping: In a small bowl, stir the breadcrumbs with the butter until the crumbs are moistened.
• Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the prepared baking dish and top with the buttered breadcrumbs. Bake until the dish bubbles around the edges, about 15 minutes.