Estate Comforts
“My Way” Ultimate Mac and Cheese
The Strategy:
Prepare this decadent, multi-cheese Ultimate Mac and Cheese ahead by assembling the pasta, three-cheese custard, vegetables, and bacon in your baking dish, then chilling it covered until you are ready to bake. To ensure a perfectly crispy contrast, toast the savory Parmesan, garlic, and sun-dried tomato breadcrumbs separately, and sprinkle them on top only during the final fifteen minutes of baking. Serve this bubbling, golden casserole hot from the oven to let the rich goat cheese, brie, and fontina melt together beautifully, offering your guests a comforting yet highly sophisticated center-of-the-table showcase.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried orecchiette pasta, about 2 cups
- 4 tablespoons butter, 1⁄2 stick
- 1 small white or yellow onion, peeled and minced, about 1⁄4 cup
- 1⁄4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
- 2 cups whole milk
- 8 ounces goat cheese, about 2 cups
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 8 ounces brie cheese, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes, about 2 cups
- 4 ounces Fontina cheese, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes, about 1 cup
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes, about 1⁄2 cup
- 1 cup cooked cauliflower florets, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
- 1 cup cooked broccoli florets, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces, about 1 1⁄2 cups
- 1⁄4 cup butter, 1⁄2 stick
- 4 slices bread, pulsed into crumbs, about 2 cups
- 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated, about 1⁄2 cup
- 1⁄4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced, about 1 tablespoon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°.
- Spray the bottom and sides of an 11 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray.
- Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain through a colander. Place into the baking dish.
- Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the flour, mustard, and hot pepper sauce until smoothly combined. Pour in the milk.
- Stir over medium heat until the sauce thickens, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the goat cheese until completely melted. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and toss to combine. Stir in the cubes of brie, Fontina, and cream cheese. Stir in the cauliflower, broccoli, and bacon pieces.
- Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake until the cheese melts, about 30 minutes.
- Make the topping by melting 4 tablespoons butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Stir in the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic. Cook, stirring until the breadcrumbs are golden and toasty, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Carefully remove the casserole from the oven. Remove the foil and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over top. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Place the casserole back in the oven and continue baking until the topping is golden, and the cheese is bubbling, about 10 to 15 minutes more. Be careful not to burn the topping. Your nose will know if the bits begin to burn!
- Remove the casserole from the oven and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Let it cool a bit before you dig in. Ultimate deliciousness!
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The Heart of the Table
This is not a side dish; this is an absolute main event. By taking the humble architecture of macaroni and cheese and elevating it with the tang of goat cheese, the luxurious melt of brie, and the sharp bite of sun-dried tomatoes, you create a complex, highly sophisticated casserole that feels entirely at home at a formal, candlelit dinner party.
Neighborly Grace
- THE PRESENTATION: Do not hide this in the kitchen. Bring the heavy baking dish to the center of the table while the breadcrumbs are still fiercely toasty and the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes is bubbling at the edges. Garnish heavily with fresh, bright green parsley to offset the rich, heavy colors of the casserole.
- THE POUR: An intensely crisp Sauvignon Blanc, like a Sancerre. You absolutely require a wine with sharp, piercing acidity to slice through the massive butterfat of the brie and heavy cream cheese.
- THE VIBE: Formal, indulgent, and slightly mischievous. Serving a macaroni and cheese at an elegant dinner party is a confident gesture—it tells your guests that you prioritize profound flavor over expected culinary rules.
