georgiarose
Well-known member
I saw this last weekend on TV and made it earlier this week. I thought I'd share my results for anyone who might have seen it and been curious. It was very good, and I thought it was actually tastier the next day. It reheated well without having to add any more liquid. In fact, next time, I might make it up and refrigerate it overnight before cooking.
Having said that, I haven't decided if it was good enough to justify the cost of the ingredients ($6 for truffle butter, almost $22 in cheeses, $5 for shiitake mushrooms in addition to the remaining ingredients). While it was very good, I felt the "premium" ingredients cancelled each other out to some extent. When I splurge on any of those items (and this was a splurge dish for us), I like them to be prominent in the dish, which didn't happen for me. In fact, I suspect it could be made with all cremini mushrooms, a less expensive Swiss cheese and maybe regular butter with a touch of truffle oil and still be a solid dish.
Also, notice she calls for an extreme amount of salt in the dish. Many of the reviews referenced this also. If you read the recipe, she doesn't salt the mushrooms and only lightly salts the pasta water. Maybe you might need that much salt if you do the same. However, I think the mushrooms are better when salted while sauteeing, so that's what I did. I also salted the pasta water as I normally would. Then I cut way back on the salt in the sauce and did a final adjustment after adding the cheese. I think the cheese used will affect the amount of salt needed or not.
In any event, these were my observations. I will definitely make this again, but will probably play around with the ingredients a bit. If you've made it or do make it, I'd love to hear your review.
Truffle Mac and Cheese
Serves: 6- 8 servings
2 T. unsalted butter
2 T. Olive oil
1/2 lb. shiitake mushrooms, sliced (don't use stems)
1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced (don't use stems)
3 T. cream sherry
Kosher salt
1 lb. pasta, (I used cavatappi as Ina suggested)
3 oz. white truffle butter (recommended: D'Artagnan)(Note: I used the only brand available at Fresh Market the name of which I promptly forgot)
1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1 quart whole milk, scalded
12 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated (4 cups)
8 oz. extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 1/2 to 3 cups)
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
2 garlic cloves, chopped (I used my garlic press instead)
3 T. freshly chopped parsley leaves
1 1/2 C. fresh white bread crumbs
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saute pan, add the mushrooms, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until they are tender. Add the sherry and continue to saute for a few more minutes, until the sherry is absorbed. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add the pasta and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until al dente. Drain well.
Meanwhile, melt the truffle butter in a large (4-quart) saucepan and whisk in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Slowly whisk in the hot milk and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the white sauce is thickened and creamy. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, the pepper, and nutmeg.
Combine the pasta, sauce, and mushrooms in a large bowl and pour them into a 10 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish.
Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until they're minced. Add the bread crumbs and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the crumbs over the pasta and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown. Serve hot.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/mac-and-cheese-recipe/index.html
Having said that, I haven't decided if it was good enough to justify the cost of the ingredients ($6 for truffle butter, almost $22 in cheeses, $5 for shiitake mushrooms in addition to the remaining ingredients). While it was very good, I felt the "premium" ingredients cancelled each other out to some extent. When I splurge on any of those items (and this was a splurge dish for us), I like them to be prominent in the dish, which didn't happen for me. In fact, I suspect it could be made with all cremini mushrooms, a less expensive Swiss cheese and maybe regular butter with a touch of truffle oil and still be a solid dish.
Also, notice she calls for an extreme amount of salt in the dish. Many of the reviews referenced this also. If you read the recipe, she doesn't salt the mushrooms and only lightly salts the pasta water. Maybe you might need that much salt if you do the same. However, I think the mushrooms are better when salted while sauteeing, so that's what I did. I also salted the pasta water as I normally would. Then I cut way back on the salt in the sauce and did a final adjustment after adding the cheese. I think the cheese used will affect the amount of salt needed or not.
In any event, these were my observations. I will definitely make this again, but will probably play around with the ingredients a bit. If you've made it or do make it, I'd love to hear your review.
Truffle Mac and Cheese
Serves: 6- 8 servings
2 T. unsalted butter
2 T. Olive oil
1/2 lb. shiitake mushrooms, sliced (don't use stems)
1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced (don't use stems)
3 T. cream sherry
Kosher salt
1 lb. pasta, (I used cavatappi as Ina suggested)
3 oz. white truffle butter (recommended: D'Artagnan)(Note: I used the only brand available at Fresh Market the name of which I promptly forgot)
1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1 quart whole milk, scalded
12 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated (4 cups)
8 oz. extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 1/2 to 3 cups)
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
2 garlic cloves, chopped (I used my garlic press instead)
3 T. freshly chopped parsley leaves
1 1/2 C. fresh white bread crumbs
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saute pan, add the mushrooms, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until they are tender. Add the sherry and continue to saute for a few more minutes, until the sherry is absorbed. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add the pasta and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until al dente. Drain well.
Meanwhile, melt the truffle butter in a large (4-quart) saucepan and whisk in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Slowly whisk in the hot milk and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the white sauce is thickened and creamy. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, the pepper, and nutmeg.
Combine the pasta, sauce, and mushrooms in a large bowl and pour them into a 10 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish.
Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until they're minced. Add the bread crumbs and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the crumbs over the pasta and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown. Serve hot.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/mac-and-cheese-recipe/index.html