Gold-Bricked Macaroni and Cheese
Submitted by Bobbi Hill on Sep 16, 2013
Another family favorite - this one is an absolute winner. Try it and you'll see what I mean.
Servings:
6
Complexity:
Easy
Total Time:
90 minutes
Ingredients:
12-oz. (3/4#) large elbow macaroni (3 3/4 cups)
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
6 Tbsp. cornmeal, yellow or white
1/4 tsp. crushed dried hot red peppers
4 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup half and half or whipping cream
3 tsp. lemon juice, fresh or bottled
1/4 tsp. + 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. + 1/8 tsp. hot pepper sauce
6 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese (fresh is best)
6-oz. Cheddar cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)
6-oz. Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)
Optional: 1 pound sausage links, cooked and chopped
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9†x 13†pan.
Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water until tender, about 8-10 minutes or according to package directions. Rinse under cold running water until cool. Drain, and set aside.
Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in the cornmeal and dried red peppers. Cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
Melt the remaining 5 tablespoons butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Whisk in the chicken broth and cream. Cook, whisking constantly, until very thick, 1 minute. Whisk in the lemon juice, nutmeg, salt and hot pepper sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese. Fold in the cooked macaroni.
Place one third of the macaroni mixture in the prepared casserole. Sprinkle with one third of the Cheddar and one third of the Jarlsberg cheese. Spoon one third of the sausage, if using, over the top. Repeat layering two
more times, ending with the sausage.
Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese with the cornmeal mixture.
Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni mixture. Sprinkle with sweet paprika if desired. Bake 30 minutes. Let set a few minutes before serving.
