Macaroni and Cheese with Gruyere and Gouda

Some days are just rough.

I really have very little complain about. Some of my blogger friends have dealt with loss lately, and so far, I have not, not yet, not this year. So I feel guilty complaining.

But it was a stressful day. For one thing, I had to spend a considerable amount of time in a conference room with my bosses and my husband’s bosses, who are working on a joint project.

Then I taught my class. I have a lively group of 18 and 19 year olds, who want to know why they can’t write newspaper stories using obscenities. Well, they can of course; I am no fan of censorship. But why do they want to? They have yet to learn that using four-letter words only destroys their credibility and dilutes their message. I had to learn the same lessons, of course.

I love them, I truly do. But some days they exhaust me.

Tuesday, I was too tired to stop at the grocery store and too tired to cook. My husband was too tired to take me to dinner.

Luckily, there is macaroni and cheese. I know what you’re thinking: I probably used a package and did my usual tweaking.

Readers, I made it from scratch. Undeterred by last week’s chocolate truffle failure, I turned again to my friends at the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board and borrowed one of their recipes. A couple of months ago, a lot of bloggers featured mac-cheese recipes so I knew there was a pool of good ideas out there, but I thought I'd give a MMB recipe another shot. I was not disappointed.

Easy Macaroni and Cheese

  • 2 cups Gruyere, shredded
  • 2 cups Gouda, shredded
  • 2 cups Mozzarella, shredded
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup cream
  • 1 pound macaroni
  • 1 cup Parmesan, freshly grated
  • dash red pepper seasoning


Cook pasta according to directions until al dente.

Add butter and cream. Sprinkle with Parmesan and brown slightly under the broiler. Sprinkle with red pepper seasoning.


Comments

Mimi, your photo of the dripping cheese is fabulous! How about a touch of the bleu cheese in there? Sounds like a winning recipe.
Mimi,

Some days all we want is to lie down and forget about work, bosses, the whole bunch.

what a great way to finish your day - this is a delicious pasta!

I'm a cheese maniac so I'd have this many, many days in a year. ;)
Anonymous said…
Great picture! I think the inclusion of Gruyere already Frenchifys it. Baking it in a gratin dish (as opposed to a pyrex casserole bowl) would also.

Funny to think of macaroni and cheese being made more French becaus in my mind it's such an all-American sort of dish. I particularly associate it with African-Americans.
Anonymous said…
There is a great macaroni and cheese recipe from Guy Savoy in his "Guy Savoy: Simple French Recipes for the Home Cook". In fact, it's so good it was included in the "Best American Recipes: 2005-2006" book, edited by Fran McCullough and Molly Stevens. Your photos are, once again, so mouth-watering, Mimi!
Anonymous said…
I like the bleu idea, maybe bleu d'Auvergne, my personal favorite of the bleus.

Thank you for your review. I'm so glad you enjoyed Blame It on Paris. I am loving your blog, as I mentioned already I think.
Unknown said…
Lydia — I thought of that, too. How much do you think?

I would have it more often, too, Patricia. But I already gain weight in winter so I try to watch it. But I literally gobbled this down!

Julie, I thought so, too, Gruyere is one of my favorites.

I think there are probably endless ways to make this classic, Lu, and I intend to experiment in the future.

Yes, blue d'Auvergne — may I'll try to make this in Paris where that should be readily available. Thanks, Laura, the feeling is mutual.

I'm still looking for must-try foods for Paris. Won't get to them all, but....
Mimi, I'm not that crazy about gouda, so I'd probably swap half a cup of that for the bleu. Does that sound right to you? Wouldn't be enough bleu to overpower, I don't think. It will be fun to play with it, eh?
linda t said…
Thanks for reminding me of the WI Milk Marketing source! I had forgotten... such great recipes!
You capture the true simplicity of Mac 'n Cheese... and make it sooo decadent! By golly... I'm gonna make me some!.
Thanks Mimi!
Anonymous said…
Sounds soooo comforting, especially with the cold that's hammering us now [Chicago is not all that far south of you, Mimi].

Once when we were visiting my brother and his family, Marion made mac & cheese from scratch for lunch for the family. My brother and his wife are not what you'd call domestic. His wife came home for lunch from work--this is small town Mississippi, where some people still do that--and went back to work, telling amazing stories of her sister-in-law making mac & cheese! From scratch! Probably made the local paper, for all I know.
Unknown said…
I thought so, too, Lydia, playing until I get it right. Then the big unveiling, right here.

I'm thinking a mac and cheese blogging event.

Enjoy, Linda T: The WMMB has been a great source of inspiration and recipes.

LOL, Terry B, I am sure there are people up here who would laugh at me — or be amazed — I am not sure which. To some, it comes in a box.

You know, folks, the more I think about it, the more I think there's a blog contest or event here.

Either that, or a Tater Tot Upgrade Recipe Contest. . .
Farmgirl Cyn said…
Maybe a bit of dry mustard, and of course, ze white wine, zat would make it oh so Frahnch!!!!
Tho I know from experience, how great a homemade mac & cheese is, there is just something about the boxed Kraft mac that brings back such memories. I could really eat the whole box, tho I haven't bought it in ages...I figure if you can't pronounce the ingredients list, then you shouldn't put it into your body. Touch decision!
Unknown said…
Cyn, I thought of white wine, too. Had I not been so tired Tuesday night, I would have experimented a bit more.

I am getting some great ideas here!

I've to learn to proof before I hit the "Publish" button.
Christine said…
What I think is that this looks perfectly wonderful just the way it is. Sometimes we need the comfort of foods like this. Obviously you did.
Having just come through the 18 & 19 year-old phase with my now 20 year old, I empathise. He still doesn't get why 4-letter words aren't descriptive.
Unknown said…
They think they invented those words, too!

Really, it does require comfort food. . .
Anonymous said…
Adding onion and a touch of mustart would Frenchify your macaroni.

When I make it from scratch I just about always finely chop some onion into it - not too much - just enough. I make mine in a white sauce (the flour, butter and milk kinda sauce) rather than using cream though.

The photo is GREAT. Macaroni is tops with me, and as you mention, also great comfort food.
Unknown said…
Mustard did cross my mind, Fi. I've doctored up the box stuff with the addition of minced onion. (OK, I did have the boxed stuff a lot in college — it was cheap.) Not real food maybe, but cheap.
Anonymous said…
You seriously just made my mouth water. Look at that cheese!!
Unknown said…
I thought it might be kind of a weird photo, but well, that's what cheese looks like, right?

Thanks, Kristen.
Anonymous said…
While I'm sure those kids are delightful....ah yup, you have your hands full, Mimi. Can sure understand the stressful day.
Ever since I was a kid...and we couldn't eat meat on Fridays as a Catholic....I've loved mac and cheese. Yours looked so yummy, my mouth is watering.
Anonymous said…
PS....I love herbs de Provence. Found some at a specialty shop in Sarasota before Christmas and I intend to stock up when I'm in Paris. That's my favorite herb.
Unknown said…
Terri, I'll bet you and I ate the same types of Friday meals when we were kids.

I kind of liked them.

And yes, nothing tops herbes de Provence, not on my palate. The best!
Anonymous said…
This recipe looks fabulous, however the recipe doesn't make sense. When are the cheeses added?
Anonymous said…
Good question. How could I have overlooked that? And why did it take seven years for someone to catch it.

I add my cheese after I have drained the pasta, either in the saucepan or in the casserole dish, if I am baking it.

Mimi

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