Fondue Mac and Cheese
This delicious and decadent mac and cheese is inspired by the fondue and Raclette that are typically served as a Swiss après-ski. It uses the flavorful alpine cheeses Raclette and Emmental and the third cheese is Gouda because of its creamy nuttiness and beautiful melting ability. This stovetop mac and cheese is the ultimate adult mac and cheese, it is bursting with flavor but still the best comfort food. Make it tonight!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
1 lb elbow macaroni*
2 tbsp unsalted butter*
2 tbsp olive oil*
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups milk
4 cloves of garlic
5 oz or 141g Raclette
5 oz or 141g Emmental
5 oz or 141g Gouda
1 rounded tsp dijon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper*
Directions:
Make the béchamel. To start, add butter and oil to a pot set to medium heat.
Once the butter has melted and the fats are sizzling, add in the finely minced garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes, until the garlic is beginning to become golden in some places.
Add the flour to the pot and mix it in with the butter and olive oil.
Cook until the smell of raw flour goes away, about 2-3 minutes.
Slowly whisk in the milk, little by little. Do not pour all of it in at once or you may end up with a lumpy béchamel sauce.
Lower the heat to medium-low and stir the white sauce until it has thickened slightly.
While the béchamel is cooking, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until it is al dente.
Once the sauce has thickened, turn off the heat and add in the nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne, and dijon mustard.
Then add in the grated cheese and mix it in so that it melts into the sauce.
Drain the macaroni and add it to the pot with the cheese sauce, stir to combine.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Additional Notes:
* You may use any pasta that you like, shells, penne, cavatappi, or whatever else you may want to use.
* I like to use half olive oil and half butter in the béchamel, but you can use all butter or all olive oil. Just be sure to use 4 tbsp of whichever fat you prefer.
*Feel free to leave out the cayenne pepper if you do not have it or do not like it, but I think it adds a nice balance to the end result.
