How
can one simple pasta dish bring up so many emotions? As kids, macaroni
& cheese was like a warm blanket. As adults, those flavor memories
set the standard by which we judge all others. How different can they
be? There are three different schools of thought on making the perfect
mac & cheese. Which is yours?
Continue reading.
What you need:
3¼ cups (about 12 ounces) uncooked elbow macaroni or pasta shells
3 tablespoons Lurpak® Imported Danish butter
¼ cup flour
3 cups whole milk
4 cups (16 ounces) grated Dofino® Creamy Havarti
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup diced green chilies or Anaheim peppers
2 cups corn kernels
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 cups crushed baked tortilla chips
PAN: 9 x 13" baking dish
What you do:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Using 1 tablespoon of butter, grease casserole or 2-quart baking dish; set aside.
2. Cook pasta in boiling salted water until tender, yet firm to the bite. Drain and set aside.
3. Melt remaining butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and stir
until it forms a thick paste, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk
and stir until smooth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly and cook for
1 minute. Remove from heat and add both the Dofino® Havarti and
Parmesan, stirring until cheeses melt and blend in.
4. Fold in pasta, green chilies, corn, and chipotle powder. Transfer
mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle cilantro over casserole and cover
with crushed tortillas. Bake until top is a golden brown, about 15
minutes.
Continue to read "Mac & Cheese isn't just for kids anymore" The Way to Perfect Mac & Cheese
Always cook the pasta slightly short of al dente. It should be tender,
but still very firm to the bite. This very important since you are
cooking the pasta twice – once on the stove and once in the oven. It
takes a firm macaroni to hold up to the cheese!
While many consider elbow macaroni the perfect pasta for mac & cheese, you can always exchange macaroni with other pastas.
How much cheese? As a rule of thumb, for 12 ounces of pasta use at least
16 ounces and as much as 24 ounces of cheese plus ½ cup of parmesan.
Havarti is a terrific melting cheese and never gets grainy, which
guarantees the perfect creamy texture.
Experiment with different cheeses: Substitute shredded Dofino® Creamy
Havarti for cheddar, or mix them together. Add zip by mixing in Dofino®
Havarti with Dill, Dofino® Havarti with Jalepeño or Dofino® Havarti with
Caraway.
Download our Mac & Cheese recipes as a PDF 
