BIG JOHN’S MAC & CHEESE
John Pease | F&B Director | Long Beach Hilton
Growing up in the Bronx, holidays were very special with my family. We would all come together to celebrate being able to spend time with one another and enjoy the family dinner. One of the family favorites was the Mac & Cheese. We could never get enough! Now when I go out to eat and try the mac & cheese at different restaurants, it never holds up. So, I got the family recipe, put my own spin on it and now I'm sharing it with you.
Ingredients
1.5 lb Sharp Cheddar Cheese .25 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese .25 cup Unsalted Butter 1.5 cups Diced Onions .5 cup Flour 3 cups Whole Milk 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard 1 dash Nutmeg Salt & Pepper 12 ounces of Small Tube Pasta
Instructions
1.Shred cheddar cheese in a food processor (yes, it's a lot). Place shredded cheese in the refrigerator while making the sauce. 2.Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until the al dente stage (about 10 minutes) and drain. Tip: don't overcook. The pasta will bake later on, and overcooking at this stage will make it mushy in the final dish. 3.Preheat oven to 400°F. 4.Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until they are translucent but not brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour until the mixture is smooth. 5.Gradually add milk to the flour/butter mixture, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add mustard, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat and cook, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens, about 5 more minutes. 6.Turn off heat and add two very large handfuls of the shredded cheddar cheese to the mixture and stir until the cheese has melted into the sauce. 7.Combine the cooked pasta and the cheese sauce and pour into a greased 4-quart baking dish. Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese over the top, then sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheddar, then the rest of the Parmesan cheese. 8.Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbly.
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