For day 14 we have a Mimolette and aged havarti mac and cheese recipe topped with bacon bits.
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Using Cheese in mac and cheese
When you taste a piece of cheese, I want you to pay attention to when the cheese flavor starts to develop. Sometimes it takes a few seconds, but it carries through the bite. These are what I call closer cheeses.
Other cheeses hit you immediately and fade away quickly. These are opener cheeses, and they’ll be the first flavor you get when you take a bite of mac and cheese. Well-rounded mac and cheese recipes include both opener and closer cheeses.
Mimolette
Mimolette is a distinctly orange French cheese made from cow’s milk. This cheese is a smooth opener and pairs perfectly with tons of cheeses.
Aged Havarti
Most havartis I’ve experienced are less aged and squarely in the opener realm. However, during a visit to the Alma cheese store, they gave us a sample of this Castello aged havarti. It’s creamy and melts beautifully and is packed with closer flavor. I couldn’t wait to turn it into a mac and cheese. It is strong enough to hold its own paired against other bold sauces, and it works beautifully in this dish.
Rotini Pasta in Mimolette and Aged Havarti Mac and Cheese
One of the most important decisions to make when creating a mac and cheese recipe is the pasta. If your noodle shape is too large, you run the risk of your dish being cumbersome and difficult to eat. However, if your pasta is too small you will have a soupy mess. The perfect mac and cheese noodle shape sits in the happy space between too large and too small.
Rotini is a perfect mac and cheese vehicle. It sits perfectly in the middle size and offers plenty of ridges to hold onto sauce making sure very bite is full of cheesy goodness.
Toppings
The right toppings can help take your mac and cheese to new levels. Toppings add extra pops of flavor, color, and texture, and help take your mac and cheese to new levels.
In today’s recipe, I used bacon bits. They’re great to keep on hand and add savoriness to your dish.
Reheating Mimolette and Aged Havarti Mac and Cheese
Most mac and cheese is difficult to reheat, but I’ve noticed that roux based mac and cheese reheat remarkably well. A minute or two in the microwave and you’ll have perfectly creamy mac and cheese. In fact, if you let your ingredients mingle for a day or two in the fridge, you will have better mac and cheese than the day you made it.
Add a fork
Mimolette and aged havarti blend together beautifully with bacon bits for delicious mac and cheese perfect for an entree or as a side.
Mimolette and Aged Havarti Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound rotini or other medium sized pasta
For the Sauce
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 3 tbsp Flour
- 3 cups Whole milk
- 4 oz Mimolette grated
- 4 oz aged havarti Grated
- 1/2 tbsp Better than bullion Chicken flavor
- 1 tsp Ground mustard
Toppings
- bacon bits
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions in well salted water. If you think it’s salty enough, add more.
Prepare the Sauce
- Pre heat your milk in the microwave for 45 seconds – just enough to take the chill out of it.
- Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat and let it heat until it becomes foamy.
- Mix in flour. Cook it for a minute while stirring constantly
- Slowly add warmed milk to the butter mixture 1/4 cup at a time. Whisk it continually until combined. Stir in mustard powder and Better than Bullion
- Once all of the milk is added, cook for a few minutes while whisking it. Do not let it boil. You will feel the sauce start to thicken. It’s ready for cheese when you rub a small amount between your fingers and it feels silky.
- Remove from heat and stir in your cheese until it’s melted and mixed into the sauce.
- Once the cheese is incorporated, use a cooked noodle to taste your sauce. If it doesn’t taste cheesy enough try adding a little more salt to bring out the flavor.
- Combine the pasta and sauce.
Plate Your Mac and Cheese
- Layer pasta with bacon bits. Serve immediately.
