Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lbs. (6 cups) elbow macaroni. (we like to mix 3 cups of small noodles with 3 cups of large noodles)
- 1/2 lb. (2 cups) grated cheddar cheese
- 1/2 lb. (2 cups) grated fontina cheese
- 8 Tbl. (1 stick) butter
- 4 Tbl. flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs (we just toast a couple pieces of bread and then tear up into little pieces)
- 3 Tbl. grated parmesan
- 2 Tbl. extra virgin olive oil
Preheat over to 350. Cook pasta as directed, strain and place in buttered 3 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle cheddar an fontina cheeses on top, reserving 1/2 cup of each. Stir lightly with fork.
Sauce- in saucepan over med. heat, melt butter; stir in flour until smooth. Slowly add milk and salt, whisking to prevent lumps. Add sauce to macaroni, reserving 1/2 cup. Mix egg with leftover sauce and pour over macaroni.
Sprinkle macaroni with remaining cheeses. Combine bread crumbs, parmesan and olive oil in a small bowl and spread on top. Place on foil lined baking sheet on middle shelf and bake for 25 min.
I remember the FIRST time we made this lucious dish. We had never heard of Fontina cheese and worse...we didn't know where to buy it. That's where the Fun began. We had to go to all the local stores and check out their cheese selection and after about a week we became very Focused on Finding our Fontina. Finally...at our Favorite Wild Oats store we Found our Fabulous Fontina!!! We then fetched our Fontina home and Feverishly Formulated the Fountain of Flavorishiness in the form of Mac and Cheeeeeeeeeese.
ReplyDeleteKate's right...this is a once a year dish and it will make you want to live another year to celebrate Mac and Cheeeeeeeeeeese Day.
In case you were wondering about Fontina...
Wikipedia reports that Fontina is a cow's milk Italian cheese. Fontina cheese has been made in the Aosta Valley, in the Alps since the 12th century. It has a milk fat content of around 45%. As with many original varieties, the name "Fontina" has been imposed upon by such derivatives as "Fontinella", "Fontal", and "Fontella". Italian Fontina can be identified by a Consorzio (Consortium) stamp of the Matterhorn including the script "FONTINA". Although the version from Aosta is the original and the most famous, Fontina production occurs in other parts of Italy, as well as Denmark, Sweden and France. The original Fontina cheese from Italy is fairly pungent and has quite an intense flavor, although cheeses labeled Fontina that are produced in other countries tend to be much milder.
Fontina Val d'Aosta must be made from unpasteurised milk from a single milking, with two batches being made per day[1].
Young Fontina has a softer texture (and can be suitable for fondue). Fonduta is a traditional dish of Fontina whipped with eggs and cream. Mature Fontina is a hard cheese. Fontina has a mild, somewhat nutty flavor, while rich, herbaceous and fruity. It melts well. It can be substituted with: Gruyère, Emmental, Beaufort, Taleggio, Edam, or Gouda.
The Milk and Fontina Producers Co-Operative was formed in 1957. The co-operative collects from around 400 producers to market 400,000 cheeses, or 3,500 tons, per year.
Well...all I left to say is ...only 3 days to the FEAST!
Yum! Of course being in our family or as my kids say...you being our mom...we celebrate ANY & All holidays...love any excuse to play around with a theme...we, okay by we I mean ME...would have to add some red to the dish in honor of Saint Valentine!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy!
I tried this with the cheese I had on hand, cheddar, provolone and mozzarella and it was still delicious! I will try it with fontina sometime because I bet it is even better. Thanks for the recipe! (PS - I always make honey cornbread to go with my macaroni...that is a serious meal!)
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