Macaroni & Cheese

This is a great, basic macaroni & cheese recipe.  It starts with a white sauce base, with cheese melted in, tossed with macaroni.  There's so much you can do to doctor this up, like switching up the cheese and adding bacon and onions to make my Bacon & Gouda Macaroni & Cheese, or adding other things like broccoli, ham or whatever sounds good to you.  But this is a great place to start if you've never made mac & cheese from scratch before.

If you've interested in trying a different type of mac & cheese, you can also give my Baked Macaroni & Cheese a shot. Instead of a white sauce, its sauce is made from a mixture of eggs, milk, sour cream and cheese poured over cooked macaroni, then baked to set it up. All of these recipes are great, it just depends on what you're in the mood for!

Macaroni & Cheese

1 lb macaroni noodles
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp four
3 cups milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded jack cheese
2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a casserole dish with cooking spray.

Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

While macaroni is cooking, prepare sauce. In a large pot, melt butter over low heat. Add the
flour and stir until golden and bubbling. Slowly whisk in the milk, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. When the mixture boils and thickens, remove from heat. Add 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese, all of the jack cheese, and the salt. Stir until the cheese is melted.

Add the cooked macaroni to the cheese sauce, stirring to coat completely, then pour into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly on top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the macaroni is bubbling and the cheese on top is golden brown.

Paneer (Indian cheese)

Today I made paneer for the first time. If you're not familiar with it, paneer is an un-aged cheese, commonly used in Indian cuisine. I seriously doubt I would be able to find any at stores around here, but it's easy to make at home, and it's something I've been wanting to try making for a long time, so I gave it a shot today. It's currently draining over the sink, and will be ready to cook tomorrow. I can't wait to see how it tastes! This is my first time ever making any kind of cheese at home, but now I'm really intrigued to try other recipes. I found a website that has photo instructions for making all kinds of cheeses, from cheddar to blue cheese and so forth. If I get around to trying to make some, I'll be sure to blog about it. ; )

Paneer

1 gallon milk
1 quart buttermilk
1 cup canola oil for frying

Pour the gallon of milk into a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Watch carefully, as it will boil over almost as soon as it starts to boil. As the milk begins to boil, pour the buttermilk into the pot in a steady stream while stirring constantly. The milk will separate into curd and water.

Place a cheesecloth into a colander, and pour the milk mixture through it. Reserve some of the liquid for later. Let the milk mixture sit in the colander for a couple of hours, or until it stops dripping.

After the curds are strained and settled, transfer them to a food processor. Process until smooth. It should be able to form a ball if it is the right consistency. If it is too dry, add a little of the reserved liquid and process again. The consistency should be like a firm ricotta cheese.

If you do not have a food processor, turn the cheese out onto a clean surface, and knead until smooth.

Form into a ball, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until needed.

To cook the paneer, heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the paneer into bite size pieces. Fry for about 1 minute, or until a very pale golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Add to your favorite curry or dish.