Throwing down some Mac & Cheese

The Food Network cooking club challenge recipe this month was Bobby Flay's Mac & Cheese Carbonara. How could I resist! The recipe takes a lot of cheese so it is bound to have a zillion calories. The original recipe can be found here


This mac & cheese was actually a hit and some people want to take it for lunch!

Here is my adaptation to the recipe.

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter, for the baking dish
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 slices bacon sliced into 1cm peices
• 3cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1.5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2.5 cups whole milk, or more if needed, hot
• 2 large eggs, lightly whisked
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1.5 cups freshly grated Asiago cheese, plus more for the top
• 1 1/2 cups shredded 6 year old white cheddar, plus more for the top
• 3/4 cup grated aged provalone cheese, plus more for the top
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 320g rotini, cooked just under al dente
• 2 tbsp dried parsley leaves

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 10 × 10 × 2-inch baking dish and set it aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.
3. Add the garlic to the fat in the pan and cook until light golden brown, 1 minute. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the hot milk, raise the heat to high, and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the eggs until incorporated and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the thyme, cayenne, and all the different cheeses until completely melted. Season with salt and pepper. If the mixture appears too thick, add additional warm milk, 1/4 cup at a time.
4. Put the cooked macaroni in a large bowl, add the cheese sauce, reserved pancetta, and the parsley, and stir until combined. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
5. Combine the additional 1/4 cup each fontina, cheddar, Asiago, and Parmesan in a bowl, and sprinkle evenly over the top. Bake until the dish is heated through and the top is a light golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.