Mac & Cheese Please!
Forget that horrible box stuff and make your own delicious Mac & Cheese. Here is a different spin on the usual cheddar cheese macaroni & cheese dish. Using the brie, cream cheese and mascarpone makes it nice and creamy. I used macaroni pasta here, but you can use pasta shells or farfalle pasta.
INGREDNTS
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
12 Ounces of Farfelle or Macaroni Pasta or Shells
7 Ounces Brie (Rind Removed) Cut Into Chunks
5 Ounces Cream Cheese Softened & Cubed
3 Large Eggs Lightly Beaten
1 Cup Mascarpone Cheese
1 Cup Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
3/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Finely Grated Nutmeg
Heat your oven to 375º F. Butter a 2 quart gratin dish. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook pasta to al dente and then drain well. DO NOT rinse the pasta. Transfer the hot pasta to a large bowl and toss immediately with Brie and cream cheese until melted and smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, mascarpone and Parmigiano. Stir the egg mixture into pasta. Season with the kosher salt, pepper and nutmeg. Place the pasta into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Serves 6
Butter Cookies
It’s time to start thinking about making Christmas cookies.
1 1/2 Cups Softened Butter
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
2 Eggs Lightly Beaten
3 Cups Unbleached Flour
1/3 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 Cup Sifted Powdered Sugar (Optional)
Cookie Press
Preheat your oven to 375° F. In a large size bowl cream the butter and sugar together. Add the beaten eggs. In a separate bowl mix the flour and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture. Blend well and then add the vanilla. Fill the cookie press with 1/4 of the cookie dough at a time. Press the cookies onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes while still on the cookie sheet. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Dust with the powdered sugar if you want to. Makes 48 cookies.
