Makin' Mac N Cheese

I had some leftover chunks of Whiskey Cheddar and some Gruyere, and what better use, on a cold, rainy day in Birch Bay than to whip up some comfort food Mac N Cheese! It's also great for Super Bowl Sunday grazing. Alas, I'm not a fan of football; I know, how un-American! However, I do pledge my allegiance to this tasty dish.

Here's what it looks like, and following the photo is the recipe. Perhaps you have your own favorite recipe. Try it with these two cheeses; they impart an added taste dimension you'll enjoy. I haven't a clue who is going to win the Super Bowl, but Mac n Cheese is a sure bet!

Oh, and throughout the recipe, I've shared some personal comments, i.e., using YOUR local farms, dairies for what ingredients you can. The freshness is great tasting, it supports your local economy, and it's probably more nutritious. Win! Win! Win! Hooray! Lucky you, if you know someone who makes their own pasta! Wish I did!

Anyway, after much ado ...

Baked 2-Cheese Macaroni

Serves/Makes: 6         Ready In: 30-60 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 pound elbow macaroni

3 tablespoons butter (from your local dairy if you’re lucky enough to have one that makes butter!)

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon powdered mustard

1-1/2 cups goat milk (recipe calls for cow milk, I just digest goat milk better/lactose intolerant)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 large egg (got free range?)

6 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded

6 ounces Gruyere, shredded

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper
Note: Buy block cheese and grate or shred it when you use it in a recipe. It tastes soooo much better freshly grated than if you buy it from the store grated or shredded. Trust me on this one!


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta to al dente. Important to not let the pasta cook too long because it’s going to cook some more in the oven.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheeses. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and a sprinkle of paprika.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest for five minutes before serving.

All the Irish angels were smiling upon me ...

I’m a little behind the times, so bear with me as I catch up with some cheese experiences I’ve had this spring.

St. Patrick's Day … you’re right, that was March 17th, over a month and a half ago. At the time I was swamped with too many other distractions to even think of green … or partying … or cheese … or even about writing a blog entry. But the day after I had time to think, and I wondered what kind of Irish cheese I could have set out on a festive platter.

On March 18th, I was in Fairhaven on business, so while there I headed to Quel Fromage to see what lovelies Rachel had in her cheese emporium. She kidded me about being a day late, but good cheese is good cheese. And an excellent Irish cheese is exactly what I found.

Whiskey Cheddar from County Limerick (I ought to have a limerick to go with this. There was a man from Nantucket, who … Oh dear, can’t share that one!) Rachel cut a sample taste and I was sold! It was so yummy!

Dave and Marion Cahill, of Cahill Farm, create this one. They’ve been offering cheese since the early 1980s in County Limerick, Ireland, and Marion makes flavored cheddars from vintage Limerick recipes. Some of their creations aren’t available in the United States, but we’re lucky to be able to purchase their Kilbeggan single-malt Irish Whiskey infused cheddar here.

Their semi-hard cheese is made from pasteurized Friesian cow’s milk, and Marion uses vegetable rennet to separate the curds and whey, making Cahill’s a vegetarian choice. They also make their farmstead cheddar with Irish Porter they brew themselves (like Guinness Stout) and another cheddar flavored with elderberry wine.

I am interested in why people decide to make cheese. The typical thought is that the skill has been honed through generations of farmers and cheesemakers, and sometimes that is the case. However, Marion Cahill was once a bank clerk, but decided to become a cheesemaker in 1966 when she and Dave married. Years later and with the help of a small dedicated staff, they are an established gourmet cheese legend!

How does it taste? Faith & Begorra!!!! It is wonderfully mellow and a little tangy, but not sharp, and there’s also a delightful “breath” to it, I suppose because of the whiskey infusion. The alcohol disappears during the aging process, but a pleasant residual complexity remains. Delightful!

Somewhere I read that a traditional country ploughman’s lunch consisted of cheddar and pickles. There is a Country Ploughman’s served at The Honor Oak in London that consists of honey roast ham, Dorset cheddar, pickles, Braeburn apple and bread. Sounds great to me!

One cool service that I appreciate at Quel Fromage is that on their sales receipt is a little history of the cheese you’re buying, the price, suggested beverage pairings and what to serve with the cheese.

Quel Fromage suggested serving this cheese with pickles and sweet onions, and with whiskey, pale ale, Riesling, or Gewurztraminer.

I tried it with a bread-n-butter type of pickle I had in the frig and sweet onions. It was okay. I also ate it with braeburn apple slices, which was excellent, and I used some of it, with 2 other cheeses, in a mac-n-cheese, washed down with some Riesling, that was marvelous!

There’s also a Kerrygold Aged Cheddar with Irish Whiskey, that has a similar robust flavor, with distinctive undertones of smooth, nutty taste. There could be others that I’m just not aware of. If interested, check out the selections and taste for yourself how they differ in taste slightly or greatly!

I may have been a day late for St. Patrick’s Day 2010, but I can now enjoy a wee bit o’ the Irish any ol’ time I want throughout the year!

I hope you’ll enjoy this Whiskey Cheddar from County Limerick, too!

PS I just read on Wikipedia that the shortest St Patrick's Day parade in the world takes place in Dripsey, Cork. The parade lasts just 100 yards and travels between the village's two pubs.

"Cheese Bites" ... A Fab Five ...

I was chatting with Anneke, a gal-buddy of mine up along the Sunshine Coast; a good Dutch girl who loves her cheese. She was bemoaning the cost, and the too large size of the pre-packaged artisan cheeses up where she is in BC, Canada, and she can't seem to use it all up before it becomes a “science project.”

It reminded me again, what a benefit it is to seek out a cheesemonger who cuts their own cheese and can provide you with a smaller portion—usually a minimum of ¼-oz—to suit your individual need. But, we all aren’t so fortunate to have one close at hand.

However, I was just at Haggens in Fairhaven (Bellingham, WA) this morning and while in the cheese section of the supermarket was delighted to see a basket of single portion .06-lb cheese, called “Cheese Bites” available for purchase. I found a Tintern, a Cotswold, Beecher's "No Woman," Irish Whiskey Cheddar and Chipotle Cheddar.

I commented to the cashier how pleased I was with their Cheese Bites and she said they are very popular. Their client base includes a lot of students and retired folks. If your store doesn’t already do so, ask the store manager if they will package and sell these solo servings. They want your business, so why not ask?

Ah, but now let’s get down to the fun stuff … All five cheeses are made with pasteurized cow’s milk.

Tintern is a mature, very creamy cheddar, blended with chives and shallots. I really enjoyed the taste of the chives, but it didn’t overpower the cheese. Tintern has a distinctive bright green wax covering. It’s named after the Abby of the White Monks of Tintern in Wales. Shelf life is around 4 months and you can find out more about it at www.somerdale.co.uk/abergavenny.htm .

Cotswold is an English double Glouster w/chives. Very tasty, much like a mild cheddar with the added taste of the chives, but more creamy, not as crumbly. It would be super with crackers and grapes, or melt it in an omelet or a casserole.

I could well understand how Cotswold and Tintern are called “pub cheese” and would taste good with beer, unless you must have wine with your cheese and then would recommend a full-flavor red.

No Woman is by Beecher’s Handmade Cheese. Wow! I liked this one! Jamaican Jerk spices are added, which gives the cheese a warm, smoky, spicy flavor. It left a really enjoyable aftertaste on my tongue. If you go to their website: http://www.beechershandmadecheese.com/ you’ll see they recommend serving it with dried mango and roasted almonds. I had it with a crisp apple and almonds … perfection! They also recommend pairing with beer or wine: a Hefeweizen or Red Ale, or a chardonnay.

Irish Whiskey Cheddar is a rich and creamy aged cheddar with unique undertones of the smooth, woody and robust taste of pure Irish whiskey. Entrenched in the history and traditions of Ireland, cheddar and whiskey are a dynamic duo. One thing I didn’t care for was that it seemed to coat the inside of my mouth. A good taste, but these other cheeses didn’t have that lingering feel.

I left the Chipotle Cheddar from Rogue Creamery for last because I thought it would have the strongest taste and I didn’t want it to overwhelm the taste of a more mild cheese. This is a tangy cheddar base, marbled with ground chipotle peppers. It’s briefly aged to infuse the cheddar with the KA-POW of chipotle. When I first bit into this cheese, I was surprised it didn’t have more of an immediate chipotle taste, but then the flavor literally unfolded in my mouth. This would be yummy on quesadillas or in chicken mole. Check out more on this cheese at http://www.roguecreamery.com/.

... a delectible cheese with which to end the taste of the Fab Five Cheese Bites!

Coming soon: my visit to Grace Harbor Goat Farm in Custer, WA.