Ina Garten truffled mac & cheese, an easy make ahead recipe, gets its earthy flavor from white truffle butter and sautéed wild mushrooms. You assemble this dinner party dish a day before, then bake it under garlic herb bread crumbs until golden.
Scald the milk before adding it to the truffle butter roux, because cold milk makes the sauce lumpy. That step and the cream sherry in the mushrooms are what separate this from regular baked mac and cheese.
Source: Modern Comfort Food (2020)
Ina Garten Truffled Mac & Cheese
Course: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: EasyCreamy cavatappi in a Gruyère and Cheddar sauce enriched with white truffle butter, tossed with cream sherry sautéed mushrooms, and baked under garlic herb bread crumbs until golden and bubbly.
Ingredients
Directions
FAQ
Regular unsalted butter with 1/2 teaspoon of white truffle oil stirred in at the end works as a backup. Black truffle butter has a different, stronger flavor that Ina specifically warns against using here.
Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat individual portions in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or microwave loosely covered until heated through. The bread crumb topping will soften, so a few minutes under the broiler crisps it back up.
Yes. Prepare the full dish, cover it tightly, and refrigerate for up to one day before baking. Add 10 to 15 minutes of oven time since you are starting from cold, and keep an eye on the bread crumbs so they brown without burning.
A 2-quart baking dish is the right size. It keeps the ratio of creamy interior to crispy bread crumb topping in balance. A larger dish will spread the pasta too thin and dry it out.
Scald the milk first and add it hot to the roux while whisking constantly. Cold milk hitting a hot roux is the main cause of lumps. Cooking the flour for a full 2 minutes before adding the milk also helps, because raw flour clumps more easily.
