Operation: EPIC Mac and Cheese [incoherence.net]

Thanks to Mabel for the recipe. More pics are found on the pictures page.

Emboldened by my previous efforts at cookery, I went for a more sophisicated kitchen test, this time employing my oven and the full range of the still unused cookware Sui bought a few months back.

It was to be your simple mac & cheese, but with a lot of cheese, plus other random bits of food thrown in for added flavor and crunch. And it’d be baked.

For the record, I spent an hour at Safeway getting the following set of ingredients:

And the recipe⁽¹⁾:

Mac and Cheese with Pancetta

8 tbsp (1 stick) butter, divided

4 oz thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon), coarsely chopped

1 cup finely chopped onion

3/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup all purpose flour

3 1/2 cups (or more) whole milk

2 1/2 cups coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 8-8.8 oz container marscapone cheese

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 pound orecchiette (little ear-shaped pasta) or large elbow

macaroni (I used penne)

Melt 1 tbsp butter in large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; saute until crisp, about 6 minutes. Add onion; saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add crushed red pepper and garlic; stir 1 minute. Stir in tbsp butter; allow to melt, then add flour and stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in 3 1/2 cups milk, simmer until thick enough to coat spoon thickly, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in cheeses. Whisk in mor milk by 1/4 cupfuls until sauce is thick but pourable (I usually don’t need more milk). Season with salt and pepper (I put very little salt as the cheeses usually make it salty enough so taste before you season). [This step can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cool; cover and chill. Rewarn, stirring over medium heat.]

Melt 4 tbsp butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko and stir until very light golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley. [This step can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.]

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter 13x9x2 inch glass baking dish. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain well. Return pasta to pot. Add warm cheese sauce; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (I also usually skip this step as I feel it’s already seasoned enough with previous steps.) Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over. Bake mac and cheese until heated through and topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes.