Macaroni & Cheese - Four Cheese

By cairokitty

Ingredients

• TOPPING:
• 4 slices white sandwich bread, torn into quarters (I use rustic Italian bread)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 ounce Parmesan cheese, granted A (about1/4 cup)
• PASTA:
• Salt
• 1 pound Penne (I use whole grain as it doesn’t get mushy)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 ounces Italian Fontina cheese, shredded (about 1 1/3 cups)
• 3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 ounce Parmesan cheese, granted (about 1/4 cup)

Details

Servings 10

Preparation

Step 1

To streamline the process, prepare the bread-crumb topping and shred, crumble, and grate the cheeses while you wait for the pasta water to come to a boil. This dish can be on the table in about half an hour.

PLANNING AHEAD: Follow the recipe through step 3. Refrigerate the topping, cooked pasta, and cream sauce in separate bowls, tightly wrapped with plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.

TO BAKE: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Transfer the pasta to a colander and rinse quickly under hot tap water. Poke several vent holes in the plastic wrap covering the sauce and microwave on high power until hot, 3 to 5 minutes. Continue to assemble and bake the casserole as directed in step 4,, extending the cooking time to 20 to 30 minutes.



1. FOR THE TOPPING: Process the bread and butter in a food processor fitted with the steel blade until coarsely ground, about six 1 second pulses. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the Parmesan; set aside.

2. FOR THE PASTA: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 500 degrees. Bring 4 quarts o water to a boil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta, cook, stirring occasionally, until at dente. Drain the pasta, return it to the pot, and toss with the oil, set aside.

3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small sauce-pan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisking often, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Off the head, add ¼ teaspoon salt and the pepper. Cover to keep warm.

4. Combine the cheeses in a large bowl. Add the cooked pasta to the cheeses. Pour the hot cream mixture over the pasta and cover immediately with foil or a large plate; let stand for three minutes. Uncover the bowl and stir with a rubber spatula, scraping the cheese from the bottom of the bowl, until the cheeses are melted and the mixture is thoroughly combined. Transfer the pasta to a 9 by 13 inch baking dish (or a shallow casserole dish of similar size) and sprinkle with the bread-crumb topping. Bake until the topping is golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.