You all have been asking for this recipe for a LOOOOOOOONG time, and I finally got you. Just in time for the 4th of July! Macaroni & Cheese is one of those food items that everyone has “the best recipe” for. There are so many ways to make it, and everyone has their “secret ingredient”. Roux or no roux? What kind of cheeses? Mustard? Eggs? No matter how you make yours, once thing is for certain…..EVERYONE is going to judge it, and if you mess it up……not only will you be tarred and feathered in front of everyone, you will forever be relegated to paper plate and napkin duty at any future food gatherings, lol!
Mac n Cheese is one of my favorite foods. I try it on any menu that I see it. I have some really good ones and definitely some not so good ones. One of the issues I have found with a seafood mac, is that it sometimes lacks flavor, or the seafood gets lost. That is definitely not the case here. The mix of cheeses is great, the seafood has life, and the overall dish is going to have your guests asking for it ALL THE TIME. SO be prepared if you take this recipe on!
Grocery Cart:
1 box Cavatapi Pasta (or whatever pasta you like to use)
2 cup whole milk
1.75 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup flour
1 stick of butter (split)
8oz cream cheese
16 oz sharp cheddar
8 oz mozzarella
8 oz smoked gouda
8 oz colby jack
2-3 TBL Bassetts Blends All Purpose seasoning
6 oz langostino tails or lobster meat
6 oz cooked peeled and deveined shrimp
8 oz crab meat (I used claw meat)
2 tsp ground mustard
salt & WHITE pepper to taste
Old Bay hot sauce (as much or little as YOU like)
Directions:
Lets start off by grating ALL of your cheese, and preheating your oven to 375 degrees
Next, bring some water to a boil, and salt it. Once the water is boiling, add in your noodles. Cook the noodles for about 3 minutes LESS than what the box says to do.
Once the noodles are done, drain them, and immediately add in 1/2 stick of butter and mix together
In a separate pot, on medium high heat, add in 1/2 stick of butter and melt. Once the butter is mostly melted, add in the 1/4 cup of flour and whisk to combine. Cook your roux for about 5 minutes to get the raw flour taste out.
Once the roux has a nice nutty aroma, and the flour taste has been cooked out, add in your heavy cream. Whisk thoroughly to incorporate the roux. Next add in the milk, continuing to whisk. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes.
Next add in the cream cheese, and stir until it has melted into your sauce. Once the cream cheese is incorporated, slowly, a little at a time, add in the gouda, colby jack, and 1/2 of the cheddar. Whisk occasionally making sure that the cheese does not clump and stick to the bottom.
Once the cheese has been melted through, and your sauce is nice and velvety, add in all of the seasonings listed above. Add others if you like. Adjust the measurements if you want more.
Now, add 2/3rds of the cheese sauce to the buttered noodles. Using a spoon, gently mix all together, and then doubkle check for the seasoning level.
Next, you are going to add in 4 oz of cheddar and 4 oz of the mozzarella, again, mixing to combine.
Once the mac n cheese is complete, here is where you will add in the seafood, and then gently mix together.
Pour the mac n cheese into some sort of baking dish, add the remaining cheese sauce, and then top with the remaining cheddar and mozzarella.
Finish it off with a little more of my Bassetts Blends All Purpose seasoning.
Place the dish into the oven for 20 – 30 minutes (if you would like a little more color on top, move to the broiler until you get your desired color.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes……ENJOY!!
Chris Bassett 