The true meaning of comfort food

We all have our own favorite dish that we instinctively reach for when stressed, in crisis or just full of joy. Either way, I was needing some soul food, literally food for my soul. Now, some of you may know that I have a particular penchant for macaroni and cheese, where finding the perfect mac n cheese is on my lifelong list of goals and bucket list, so to say (perhaps an odd one at that). This is the second time I've made this recipe, with a few tweaks to it here and there, it's still not perfect, but I gave it all my love anyways. 

Here's is exactly what I learned this time around and will not repeat the next time I make this self-proclaimed (and I really believe it in my heart), "best mac n cheese" recipe:

• Do not add dried thyme. I'm not sure if fresh thyme would have been a milder flavor, but I think herbed goat cheese is plenty of herb to take in. 

• Do not use sharp white cheddar/gruyere blend. God bless Trader Joe's for making all of us twenty-something year olds lives easier, but buying two cheese in one wasn't the best idea for this recipe! (Although, this would be excellent to melt into a cheese fondue). While I liked the idea of buying  two cheeses for the price of one, I'm not sure if I liked the nutty aftertaste in my mac n cheese. It's overpowering, with all the herbs already going on. Next time, I shall defer to the original recipe's suggestions, which call for parmesan, sharp white cheddar and herb goat cheese.

• In an effort to be healthy I added broccoli.  WOMP! If this was a creamier, yellow cheddar mac n cheese, broccoli would have been a fitting addition...not so great with goat cheese here. Mental note made. 

• Again, in another effort to be healthy I used wheat pasta. I mean it's MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH BACON...what was I thinking!! This particular recipe couldn't be that much healthier just because I used a whole grain elbow macaroni pasta. 

• Less flour in my roux. Roux's are tricky business, in one minute, flat, you can ruin your roux. I'm not kidding, as I've done this many times before. For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about here, a roux is a type of butter, flour, milk, base or thickening agent for creamy sauces like a bechamel, alfredo or, say... a macaroni and cheese. My roux called for 1/2 cup of flour, which seems like a lot, so decided to agree on 1/3 cup, not exactly the right math. Typically, roux's have a few tablespoons of flour, I think I masked a lot of the cheesy flavors happening by adding too much flour, causing my mac n cheese to be really dense and thus lacking in flavor.

• I'm 50/50 about using Italian seasoned Panko breadcrumbs. Dare I say it was too crispy for my taste!? Maybe just using less of it would have been better. 

Well, I'm certainly a harsh critic on myself, but I truly believe I can make the best, darn, homemade mac n cheese, with a little bit of luck and persistence for nailing down the right recipe. 

Homemade Herb Goat Cheese Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon

Bacon, goat cheese and red wine... I'm in heavan!

adapted from Recipe Girl

Ingredients:

Breadcrumb Topping: 

• 2 cloves garlic 
• 3/4 cup Italian-style Panko breadcrumbs

Mac n Cheese: 

• 12 oz. (1 package) center-cut bacon, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tbl butter
• 1 pound whole grain pasta (elbows or shells), cooked until very al dente ( a little crunchy, as it will cook further in the oven)
• 3 1/2 cups whole milk, heated until warm
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1tbl dried thyme 
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt, or more to taste
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 12 oz (or 4 cups) sharp white cheddar/gruyere cheese blend, shredded & divided
• 8 oz herb & garlic flavored Chevre cheese (goat cheese), crumbled
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 3 to 4 quart casserole dish.

2. Cook pasta until almost al dente, strain and set aside. 

3. Prepare breadcrumbs: in warm skillet, brown Panko breadcrumbs for 3-4 mins, until light brown. Set aside to sprinkle on top of mac n cheese later.

4. In a large skillet, sauté bacon until it is almost crisp. Remove bacon to paper towels to drain. Spoon out oil from pan, reserving about 1/2 tablespoon of bacon drippings. Add 2 tablespoons butter to the bacon drippings and heat to medium. When butter sizzles, add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until mixture bubbles up and becomes thick. 

5. Remove pan from heat and stir in thyme, mustard powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Then stir in 3 cups cheddar/gruyere and Chevre and Parmigiano cheeses.

6. Stir cooked pasta and cooked bacon into the cheese sauce. Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheddar onto the pasta. Scatter breadcrumbs over the top.

7. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Check at 15 minutes to make sure the breadcrumbs aren't browning too quickly (if they are, just place a sheet of foil loosely over the top). 

I "sort of" tried to half this recipe. Perhaps the next time around I will do a better job of that. Needless to say, this dish was still good, but it has the potential to be better! It still came out of the oven looking like a winner!