Mac and Cheese Canapés Recipe

By nanasally4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for the pans
• 1/4 cup toasted breadcrumbs (optional)
• 1/4 pound ditalini, which are essentially mini macaroni shapes, or other small, similarly shaped pasta
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup whole milk, warmed
• 2 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated
• 2 ounces Gruyère, grated
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Details

Servings 16
Preparation time 25mins
Cooking time 40mins
Adapted from leitesculinaria.com

Preparation

Step 1

Makes 16 to 24

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF (218ºC). Generously butter 24 mini muffin cups and, if desired, sprinkle with breadcrumbs. (If you’re baking the canapés in batches, reserve some of the butter and breadcrumbs, if desired, for the second batch.)

2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until it’s just barely beginning to soften and is at the early stages of al dente. Drain the pasta, rinse it under cold water, and return it to the pot.

3. Meanwhile, melt the 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and cook, still stirring constantly, for 1 minute, or until the mixture turns slightly beige and is bubbly. Increase the heat to medium and slowly whisk in the warm milk. Bring to a boil, whisking almost constantly. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the cheeses to the sauce in 1/2-cup increments, stirring until the cheese melts before making another addition. Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir well.

4. Beat the egg yolk with the cream and mustard, if using, and stir it into the pasta. Season with salt and pepper, and press the mixture into the prepared cups. (You may not fill all 24 of the cups.)

5. Bake the mini canapés for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cheese sauce is bubbly and the tops are light brown. Let them rest for 5 minutes in the pan, then turn them out onto a platter and pass ASAP. The canapés can be baked, cooled, and refrigerated, tightly covered, for up to 2 days. Reheat them in a 375ºF (190ºC) until warmed through, 7 to 10 minutes.

[Lori Widmeyer] Great idea and great recipe. I’ve made this three times in the last two weeks—the first time I made the recipe exactly as written, the second time made as written but ahead of time and reheated a day later with extra cheese on top (extra wonderful), and the third time I used our family-favorite mac n’ cheese recipe but in the mini muffin tin as this recipe states. They each turned out great, came out of the pan with ease, and were easy to serve. Perfect for parties or just when you don’t have enough time to cook a 9-by-13-inch pan full of pasta.

[Colleen Bloxham] A lovely little mouthful! What can one say about the flavors as familiar to most of us as apple pie? Well, this little bit was really quite delightful. A cheesy, creamy, slightly crunchy bite. I loved the addition of the mustard—made it feel a little more sophisticated—but I also think a little pinch of cayenne would go down a treat. A little time-consuming in that you need to make the cream sauce and then fill the fiddly little cups, but really all in all a good bit of nosh. I used ditalini pasta, as mac and cheese for me is always elbow macaroni, so I found this the best shape to hold the sauce and the perfect reminder of childhood. I think this is something most everyone can do and would be loved by all.

[Joan Osborne] These are very tasty and not that hard to make. Do be sure to press the mixture into the mini muffin tins and to let them sit in the tin for at least 5 minutes, if not more, before placing them on your serving platter. Some of mine came apart when I was trying to get them out and I think it was because I didn’t press some of them in good enough or I didn’t let them sit long enough. Mine were perfectly baked after 12 minutes. I chose to use ditalini and used the optional Dijon mustard, which I think gave them a nice touch. I did reheat a few as directed and it worked perfectly. We all thought these were a fun way to make mac and cheese and would be a great appetizer.

[Kim V.] This was a nice little appetizer. I used ditalini pasta because I always have it on hand. I did add the Dijon mustard but will probably leave it out the next time. I made these as written the first time and decided to make them again and fancy them up. So I made Parmesan cups by melting piles of Parmesan cheese and draping them over the bottom side of the mini muffin tins to form little cups. When they cooled I placed a mini mac and cheese in each cup. They looked so fancy!

[Jill R.] This recipe is simple, tasty, and fun. It’s also a great way to get a picky eater to eat. Once you start putting this recipe together you don’t get a chance to stop, so make sure all your ingredients are lined up and ready to go. Being a bit of a traditionalist, I chose to use Rienzi I Bambini 62, mini elbows. I think the addition of a little garlic and onion to these would be great. When you make the cheese sauce I’d recommend making it in a nonstick saucepan, as it becomes sticky enough to form a ball. In order to make sure you’ve enough to fill your tins I’d suggest that you place a tablespoon in each cup and then go back and continue filling each cup until you use all the mac and cheese mixture.

All in all this is a recipe that I’ll definitely make again, as it was well received and tastes great.

[Tracey G.] Consider making a double batch of these because they’ll be eaten quickly! I’d recommend using small-size pasta like ditalini, if you can find it. Elbow macaroni may be too big to fit into a mini muffin tin. The cheese mixture looks very thick initially, but with the addition of the heavy cream and egg yolk, it’s smooth enough to cover the ditalini.

[Joel Jenkins] I used stortini pasta and this makes a nice little bite-size (well, honestly it really should be a two or three bite) canapé. Nice bite from the Gruyère yet still smooth. Word of caution: don’t forget to butter and bread the tins or getting them out is messy. (Whoops!) I ended up having about 1 cup of each cheese but I imagine that could vary. I’d definitely make these again.

[Karen L.] This is a great spin on an American comfort food and would be great for a casual get-together or a party of youngsters. The dish could be tweaked for a more mature palate that’d enjoy some adventure. If made ahead and reheated I’d probably use the tins again so the form wouldn’t fall apart in the reheating process.

[Dan Kraan] These mini-mac canapés are perfect appetizer nibbles! Two or three bites and you’re ready for another. The cheese combination is great. Variations on this theme could include a light drizzle of truffle oil or crumbled bacon, just to name a couple.

Then tell us. And if you have a picture you'd like to add to your comment,