Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

• Macaroni

• Shallots

• Panko

• Pancetta

• Milk

• Flour

• Thyme

• Chives

• Butter

• Parmesan

• Cheddar

• Camembert

• Pecorino

• Burrata

• Garlic

• Parsley

• Oregano & Marjoram

• Mustard Powder

• Old Bay 

• Salt and Pepper

Method:

Start by frying off the pancetta with a splash of olive oil in a pan at medium heat. Once the lardons have turned a golden brown and crispy, use a slotted spoon to transfer them into a bowl and set aside.

In the leftover pancetta fat, fry off the shallots till golden and starting to crisp, add the garlic and allow it to fry for 1 minute or so. Remove from the pan and add them to the same bowl with the pancetta.

Add a chunk of butter to the same pan and increase the heat to a medium-high. Once the butter is foaming, add panko bread crumbs. Season with flaky salt, picked thyme and pepper. Move the breadcrumbs in the pan constantly, keeping a close eye so as not to burn them. Once these have crisped and picked up some colour, tip this into a separate bowl and set aside next to the lardons. These will be used on the top of the dish to give it a crunch. 

In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and add a large knob of butter. Once foaming, allow the butter to brown slightly, whilst stirring constantly to prevent it from catching. Add an equal amount of flour and stir continuously to combine. Stirring constantly, cook this mixture out for 2-3 minutes or until the raw flour taste is completely cooked out and the mixture becomes smooth - use a whisk at this point if you need to. In stages, gradually add milk to your roux, making sure to keep stirring/whisking to avoid a lumpy sauce. The amount of milk you add depends on how loose you want your sauce - but remember we will be adding pasta water to this too.

Once your sauce has reached your desired consistency,  start adding your cheeses. Reduce the heat to low - this ig oing to help lessen the risk of the sauce going lumpy or splitting. In stages, add grated cheddar, parmesan and pecorino to the sauce and combine until fully melted before adding the next lot of cheese. At this point we also add cubes of camembert and burrata but if these aren’t available to you, you can skip adding the extra cheese.

Add half the pancetta and shallots mix to the cheese sauce and combine. 

At this point, preheat your oven to 170℃ (fan).

In a separate pan, fill it ¾ full with water and bring to a boil. Once this pan has reached a rolling boil, add your pasta with a generous pinch of salt. Consult the pasta packaging for the recommended cooking time and reduce it - as the whole dish is getting baked in the oven, you want your pasta to be under al dente.

Once the pasta has reached pre al dente, use a slotted spoon or sieve to transfer the pasta from the water to the cheese sauce. Combine the pasta and the sauce together and at this point you can see whether your sauce needs to be loosened up a touch by adding a small amount of pasta water at a time.

After the mixture has reached a consistency you are happy with, do a final seasoning check and adjust accordingly. Transfer to a large oven safe dish. Tip the rest of the pancetta and shallots into the panko bread crumbs, stirring to combine, then top the mac and cheese with this mixture, fully covering the top.

Place the dish on top of a tray to stop any bubbly cheese dropping on the bottom of your oven. Bake your mac and cheese in the oven for 20mins, or until golden brown and delicious.

Once you have pulled your mac and cheese out of the oven, let it stand for 10-15mins.

Be liberal with your servings and enjoy.

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