Mac Cheese Grilled Cheese Food

ROBIN KOURY'S GRILLED MAC-N-CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat grill to 350 degrees F.
• Quarter red and green pepper, then place them on the grill, cooking until tender. Once grill marks are formed, remove peppers from grill and set aside. Boil elbow macaroni in salted boiling water until al dente - drain and set aside. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and then whisk in flour to thicken, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup milk and whisk in. Begin adding cheeses 1 at a time, thoroughly whisking each cheese. If sauce becomes too thick, add remaining cup of milk. Once all cheeses are blended add salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, grilled peppers, jalapeno pepper and stir to combine. Add elbows to mixture and stir again. Once combined well, add to a cast iron 9 by 13-inch rectangle casserole dish, and sprinkle top with bread crumbs and an additional 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Place on grill for 12 minutes. Let stand a few minutes before serving.

MAC & CHEESE GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan filled with boiling water, cook macaroni until al dente, about 7-8 minutes. Drain.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same pot over low heat. Add milk and cheese packet and whisk well. Turn off the heat and return macaroni. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of cheddar and stir until the cheddar is melted and the macaroni is evenly coated in the cheese sauce. Remove from heat. Fold in bacon pieces.
• Assemble sandwiches: Butter one side of each piece of bread. For each sandwich, place one slice of bread buttered side down on a clean working surface or plate. Cover bread with cheddar cheese, then spoon macaroni and cheese on top. Sprinkle with more cheddar then top with one more slice of bread, buttered side up. Repeat process with remaining bread. (You may have leftover macaroni and cheese.)
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 1 to 2 sandwiches (or however many will fit) in the skillet and cook until bread is golden and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes per side.

BLACK TRUFFLE MAC AND CHEESE (HANGOVER GRILLED CHEESE)

Steps:

• For the mac and cheese: Heat the truffle oil in a large pot over low heat. Add the shallots and thyme and cook until the shallots are golden. Add the garlic and continue cooking until golden. Add the vegetable base and stir. Add the wine and cook until reduced, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the flour slowly, stirring, until a thick paste forms. Add the cream and simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the mixed cheese (except for the Parmesan and Cheddar) slowly while stirring. Once all the cheese is in, you will begin to see a nice sauce come to life. Continue to cook, stirring, about 15 minutes. Add the Parmesan at the very end. This cheese is like glue; it holds the sauce and the pasta together.
• While the cheese sauce simmers, bring a large pot of water with 1/4 cup salt to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and add a touch of olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking. The pasta is now ready to soak up the cheese sauce. Return the pasta to the pot and stir in the cheese sauce.
• For the sandwich: Preheat a flattop to 350 degrees F.
• Place the Cheddar slices and lobster if using in between the bread slices and close the sandwich. Ladle some clarified butter onto the flattop. Place the sandwich on the flattop and cook until the bread is golden and crisp and the cheese is melted. Flip and cook until golden on the other side. Open the bread and stuff with a heaping serving spoon of the mac and cheese. Close the sandwich, cut and serve.

GRILLED MAC AND CHEESE WITH PULLED PORK

Steps:

• Put 6 tablespoons butter and the mayonnaise in the bowl of a stand mixer; beat with the paddle attachment until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Set aside.
• Spread the macaroni and cheese in an 8-inch-square baking dish to about 3/4 inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 45 minutes. Cut the macaroni and cheese into squares that are slightly smaller than the bread slices.
• Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Combine the barbecue sauce and pulled pork in a saucepan over low heat and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes.
• Generously spread the butter-mayonnaise mixture on one side of each bread slice. Flip over half of the bread slices; layer 1 slice of cheddar, 1 macaroni-and-cheese square and another slice of cheddar on each. Top each with one-quarter of the pulled pork and caramelized onions and another slice of cheddar. Top with the remaining bread slices, buttered-side up.
• Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Working in batches, cook the sandwiches until the cheese melts and the bread is golden, about 5 minutes per side.

MAC AND CHEESE GRILLED CHEESE WITH BACON TWO WAYS

Steps:

• Evenly spread the Easy Mac and Cheese in an 8-inch square baking dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Cut the mac and cheese into 4 equal-size squares.
• Preheat a griddle over medium-low heat. Place each mac and cheese square on a slice of bread, top with 1 slice American cheese and 2 slices bacon. Top with a second piece of bread and griddle the sandwich until golden and warm, about 4 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve.
• For the adults, toss the tomatoes in some hot sauce and add on top of the bacon before griddling your sandwich.
• Cook the macaroni in a large pot of boiling salted water to al dente and drain.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepot over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and stir for a couple of minutes, making sure it's free of lumps and the flour taste is cooked out. Stir in the milk, bring to a simmer and cook over medium-low until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the processed cheese and Cheddar until melted, add the hot sauce and fold in the macaroni. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

MAC 'N CHEESE WITH GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Prepare the macaroni and cheese base by bringing a large pot of salted water to boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, according to package directions, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat a medium saucepan, over medium high heat, and saute shallots, in the olive oil, until they just begin to color; stir in heavy cream, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until reduced by half, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Whisk in cheese until melted; stir in drained pasta.
• Remove from heat and keep warm.
• Drizzle the olive oil over the chicken and season with salt and pepper; sprinkle with parsley and rosemary.
• Grill chicken, over medium heat, to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F; remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.
• In a medium sized skillet, over medium high heat, cook pancetta until crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes; remove pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside (leave fat in pan).
• Sprinkle the bread crumbs into the pan and stir, until toasted, about 1 minute; remove from heat and drain bread crumbs on paper toweling.
• Heat the macaroni base, over medium heat, until hot, stirring frequently.
• Meanwhile, slice the chicken into strips; stir the chicken into the macaroni base, then stir in the pancetta, chopped parsley and white truffle oil; toss to coat.
• Divide mac 'n cheese among 4 serving bowls, top with bread crumbs, and serve.