Bacon and Beer Macaroni & Cheese

On blustery winter days like today, there is nothing like a hot dinner filled with comfort foods.  For me, the ultimate comfort food is homemade macaroni and cheese.  There isn't any of the yellow boxed stuff served at our house; rather noodles are mixed with a rich sauce comprised of whichever cheeses I have on hand.  Bake it in the oven for a half hour or so and you end up with a rich and creamy cheesy goodness that hits the spot.

This recipe was inspired by one I found on the From Away food blog. Originally made with brown ale and cheddar cheese, I adapted the recipe based on the ingredients I had on hand.  Korce e Ze, a local dark beer was substituted for the recommended brown ale and not being able to find real cheddar cheese in Albania I used a mixture of provolone, Gouda, and Swiss.  The original recipe called for 4 full cups of half and half cream. Again, not being able to find half and half I used whole milk and still received the creamy results I desired.  In the future, I'd like to try this with cheddar and pepper jack combination.  I think this would create a complex and rich dish.  Even without these ingredients the consensus was that this version of mac and cheese was pretty darn tasty.

BACON AND BEER MACARONI & CHEESE

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided plus more for the dish

4 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 pound bacon

4 cups whole milk

12 ounces dark beer

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 small can chopped jalapenos

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

4 cups cheese of your choice, shredded and divided

1 cup penne, ziti or similar sized pasta

1)  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a 3 quart casserole dish; set aside.

2)  Place the bread in a medium bowl.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons

     butter.  Pour the butter into the bowl with the bread and toss.  Set the breadcrumbs aside.

3)  Dice the raw bacon and add to a large fry pan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the

     bacon is brown and crisp.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked bacon to paper towels to drain.

     Drain all but 1-2 tablespoons of bacon grease from the pan, leaving all of the brown crispy bits.

4)  Heat the milk and beer in a separate saucepan over medium heat.

5)  Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to the rendered bacon fat and allow to melt.  When the

      butter bubbles, whisk in the flour, scraping the bottom of the pan to release the brown crispy bits

      and stir until combined with no lumps remaining, approximately 1 minute.

6)  While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk and beer mixture.  Continue cooking, whisking

      constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.  Remove the pan from the heat.  Stir in the

      salt, nutmeg, black pepper, jalapenos, 3 1/2 cups cheese, and cooked bacon.  Set cheese sauce

      aside.

7)  Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil.  Add the pasta and cook 2 to 3 minutes less than the

     manufacturer's directions, until the outside of the pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone.  

8)  Transfer the past to a colander, rinse under cold running water and drain well.

9)  Stir the pasta into the reserved cheese sauce.  Pour the mixture into the prepared dish.  Sprinkle with

     remaining 1/2 cup of cheese, bread crumbs, and paprika.

10)  Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.  Serve

       hot.

Gouda Bread Pudding

I'm always on the lookout for new side dishes.  All too often I jump in with gusto with the entree but by the time it comes to planning and actually cooking the accompaniments, I run out of steam.  Seriously, there are only so many times I can serve risotto or scalloped potatoes for dinner. Looking for inspiration, I recently dug through the enormous cookbook collection that I had insisted on bringing with us to Albania (despite it's pushing us towards the upper limit of our weight allowance I assured Glenn that I would indeed use all of the books).  As a member of a cookbook of the month club I have a lot of books that have arrived simply because I forgot to tell them not to send the  month's selection.  When this happens I usually scan through the book, mark interesting recipes for future use, and cram it onto a shelf along with previous month's surprise arrivals.  High on this shelf I found Paula Lambert's Cheese, Glorious Cheese, a book dedicated to you guessed it, cheese.  I had indeed marked several recipes but as far as I could tell, had never tried any of them.  

We had British guests coming for a family style dinner and I was looking for something easy to accompany the steaks we were planning on grilling.  When I saw the Gouda Bread Pudding recipe I knew it was just the thing.  Easy, fast, and tasty.  I served it from the table in a large souffle dish but it could just as easily be served in individual dishes for a more elegant presentation.  The Gouda was good but I plan on trying out other cheese combinations in the future.....Swiss, cheddar, bleu, pepper jack.......the possibilities are endless.

GOUDA BREAD PUDDING

4 eggs

2 cups milk

1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 baguette

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups shredded sharp, aged Gouda

1)  Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl.  Add the milk, creme fraiche or sour cream, salt, and 

     pepper and whisk until well combined.

2)  Cut the baguette in half, then cut it into quarters and finally into 1-inch cubes.  Add the bread to the

     egg mixture and toss to combine.  Leave to soak up the liquid at least 10 minutes.

3)  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Generously butter an 8-inch to 10-inch casserole or souffle dish.

4)  Transfer 1/3 or the soaked bread to the casserole and sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese on top.  Repeat

      layering the bread and cheese until the casserole is filled.  You should have 3 or 4 layers of bread

      and cheese.  

5)  Pour any remaining egg mixture over the bread.  Finish by sprinkling the remaining cheese in a

     thick layer on top.

6)  Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the bread pudding has puffed up in the
      center and the top is crusty and golden brown.   Serve hot.