"Aphrodisiac Mac & Cheese"

I've been on the look out for the perfect mac & cheese recipe for quite awhile.  When I finally found this one and adapted it to fit our families likes, I was really excited to find out how everyone liked it!  My husband actually said the mac and cheese should be called aphrodisiac mac & cheese; he loved it!  Our 3-year-old loved it, too.

I found the original recipe from the book Kids in the Holiday Kitchen by Jessica Strand & Tammy Massman-Johnson and it is called Merry Macaroni (Strand and Massman- Johnson, p.22)

I changed a few things to adapt the recipe.  My changes included adding some olive oil to the butter, and I also used brown rice elbow macaroni.  I used Strauss organic whole milk and heavy cream, which adds a richness to the taste.  Also, I used high quality Gruyere cheese!

Ingredients:

1 pound (16 oz.) of dried elbow macaroni

2 ounces of butter, 1/2 ounce of olive oil (Can also use all butter, experiment depending on taste)

3 cups of grated Gruyere cheese

2 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 cup of heavy cream  (Strauss or other organic preferred)

1 cup of whole milk

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1 cup fresh bread crumbs (regular, whole wheat, or gluten free (try Mariposa Bakery if you are in the San Francisco Bay area.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large pot, cook the macaroni in salted boiling water until al dente (tender but firm to the bite.)  Drain, and set aside.

Lightly grease a casserole pot or 8 (8-ounce) ramekins with 1 tablespoon of the butter or olive oil. (I used a casserole pot as I actually don't own ramekins, and I greased with olive oil.

In a large bowl, whisk together the Gruyere, 2 cups of the Parmesan, the cream,  milk, dry mustard, and nutmeg.  Add the macaroni and toss until thoroughly coated with the cheese mixture.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to the greased ramekins or casserole pot.

In a small bowl, toss together the bread crumbs and the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan.  Sprinkle the ramekins or casserole pot evenly with the cheese bread crumbs, and dot each ramekin or casserole pot with 1/2 Tablespoon (or less,  depending on taste)  of the remaining butter (or olive oil.)

Bake until the tops are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our family does! 

Serves 8

--Bungalow Mama