Welcome to the Virtual Book Club—Culinary Version.
I join three bloggers during the fourth week of each month to share our interpretation of a different book.
On Thursday, we share a home-decor related post and follow
on Saturday with a culinary post, both inspired by the month’s book.
Jump to RecipeFather of the bride
This month’s book was Father of the Bride. I shared the details of my daughter, Meghan’s, beach wedding and the many roles my husband played leading up to and during the wedding. You can read about it here. While the book featured an extravagant wedding, Meghan’s was a much simpler event that focused on celebrating with family and friends.
This month’s book was Father of the Bride. I shared the details of my daughter, Meghan’s, beach wedding and the many roles my husband played leading up to and during the wedding. You can read about it here. While the book featured an extravagant wedding, Meghan’s was a much simpler event that focused on celebrating with family and friends.
Comfort food for a cozy mountain wedding
When my son, Drew, got married in a mountain wedding, he and his wife, Paula, wanted a similar vibe. Since most guests stayed at the mountain resort where the wedding was held, there were festivities throughout the weekend. It was chilly in the evenings, so a bonfire with a smorgasbord of comfort food was the highlight of Friday night. Meghan and her husband, Brant, offered to prepare the food for this fun event.
From Meghan’s kitchen
Meghan loves to cook. Most of her dishes are from scratch, and they’re always delicious. She did not inherit that skill from me. I have to follow a recipe to the T! The rest of this post is from Meghan.
Homemade is best
Growing up we had a lot of boxed Mac and Cheese and, to be honest, it was never my favorite. My husband, however, grew up with the real deal. Baked Mac and Cheese, made with real cheese and not something that oozed out of a packet. He started making it for me early in our relationship and it revolutionized my opinion of what this comfort food could really be. This recipe started with what he could remember from watching his mom make it growing up. I have taken those bones and tweaked it over the years into what it is today. This is great as a side dish but for us, it’s the main attraction. This is the basic recipe but you can add bacon, sausage or, my personal favorite, broccoli and onions to beef it up (just make sure you sauté those veggies first!).
A must in any kitchen
I make this in an enameled Dutch oven. It is my hardest working piece of cooking equipment. I can’t live without it. It goes from the stove top to the oven so there are fewer dishes and less clean up. The heavy cast iron holds in the heat and cooks super evenly. If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can make the sauce in a medium size sauce pan. You’ll then need to add the noodles and the sauce to a 9×13 glass baking dish before you add the cheese topping. Just cover with tin-foil for the first bake and you’ll be good to go.
Tips for obtaining the perfect consistency
The cheese combination in this dish took some trial and error. I love the sharpness of the sharp cheddar but too much and your Mac and cheese will be extremely greasy. I also like the heat the pepper jack adds. If you have some less adventurous mouths at your house, you can sub out the pepper jack for Monterey Jack. You’ll get the same consistency without the heat. I’m also a staunch believer in grating your own cheese. Pre-grated cheese has modified corn-starch added to it to prevent caking while packaged. It translates to a grainy texture when melted into a sauce.
It’s really easy and delicious
Don’t be fooled by the roux. This is actually a very easy recipe. My cooking challenged sister has even mastered it. It’s her go-to for pot-lucks. No one needs to know it’s the only thing she knows how to make!
Spicy Baked Three-Cheese Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
- 8 ounces medium cheddar cheese
- 8 ounces pepper jack cheese
- 1 stick butter
- 1 1/2 cups milk (2 percent or whole)
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup flour
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Grate cheese keeping the medium cheddar separate from the sharp cheddar and the pepper jack. Set the medium cheddar aside.
- Cook macaroni. Pour noodles into a medium to large size pot. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until soft–about five minutes from the time the water boils. Strain and set aside.
- Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Make a roux. In a Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-low heat. When fully melted, add the flour and stir until it is fully incorporated into a paste.
- Add the milk and stir until the roux dissolves into the milk. Continue to stir until the mixture begins to thicken.
- Add the salt and garlic powder.
- Add the sharp cheddar and the pepper jack to the pot one handful at a time stirring constantly. Let the cheese completely melt before adding another handful. Repeat until all the cheese is melted into the sauce.
- Remove from the heat and add the sour cream. Stir to incorporate.
- Top with the medium cheddar cheese. Sprinkle pepper uniformly on top.
- Cover and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove lid and broil until the top browns. Usually around 4 minutes but all broilers are different so check frequently.
- Let stand until it stops bubbling. Serve in the Dutch oven.
The Virtual Book Club
Be sure to check out my book club friends’ post to see what wedding fare they have cooked up!
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