5 Cheese Macaroni and Cheese with Proscuitto

By RoketJSquerl

I also learned to make this delicious dish, and found it remarkably easy to do so. It is basically a cheese sauce combined with cooked macaroni and baked with a crumb topping. No rocket science there. The traditional preparation usually involves cheddar cheese for the cheese portion, but you can use any of a variety of cheeses and still end up with a wonderful creation. A few weeks ago I was feeling somewhat creative, and was looking through my refrigerator for some inspiration, and came across a nice selection of cheeses, and a small package of Parma Prosciutto (that delicious Italian dry cured ham), and was suddenly reminded of “Special Dinner” (perhaps it was the bottle of Canadian maple syrup in the door shelf), and I decided that I now possessed all the ingredients to make it quite “special”. I quickly went to work, and here is what I formulated:

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Elbow Macaroni (uncooked Measurement)
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Bacon Fat
• 2 Ounces Prosciutto (chopped)
• 1/4 Cup All-purpose Flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
• 1/4 Teaspoon Dry Mustard Powder
• 1 Dash Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 Cups Milk
• 1/2 Cup Goat Cheese (crumbled)
• 1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese (shredded)
• 1/2 Cup Monterey Jack Cheese (shredded)
• 1/4 Cup Asiago Cheese (shredded)
• 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese (shredded)
• ------------
• 1 Cups Coarse Bread Crumbs (1 to 1 1/2)
• 2 Tablespoons Butter

Preparation

Step 1

• Cook the Elbow Macaroni to “al dente” in boiling, salted water.
• While the Macaroni is cooking melt the Butter and Bacon Fat in a saucepan and fry the Prosciutto in the fats until it is slightly crispy.
• Add the Flour and cook, while stirring, to completely incorporate the Flour (no lumps).
• Add the Pepper, Dry Mustard, and Worcestershire Sauce and blend in well.
• Add the Milk and stir until the sauce is thickened and bubbly. Do this over reduced heat.
• Turn off the heat and add all the Cheeses, and stir until it is completely melted.
• Drain the Macaroni (if you have not already done so) and fold the Cheese Sauce into it.
• Pour this into a casserole dish and prepare the crumb topping by combining the Bread Crumbs with the Butter and working the Butter in with your fingers. Top the casserole with an even layer of the crumb topping.
• Bake this (uncovered) in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until very bubbly.