Question of the hour: who doesn’t love mac and cheese? Whether it’s from the blue box or freshly made, it is always delicious, warm, filling, cheesy and perfect. I was in a mood for some real mac and cheese the other day and I came across Cake, Batter, and Bowl’s Caramelized Shallot and Crispy Sage Mac and Cheese. I looked in my cabinet and I had most of the ingredients, so I began to cook.

Caramelized Shallot and Sage Mac and Cheese

2 cups shallots, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh sage (ground is fine too)

1 pound pasta (preferably shells)

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 cup cream

5 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups grated gruyere cheese

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar

Baked Version

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

extra cheddar and gruyere cheese

First, cook pasta as directed on the box. Heat olive oil in a sauce pan and add shallots. On medium heat, stir them until they’re caramelized for about 17 minutes. Then add garlic and cook for another minute.

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a different pan and add in the flour. Whisk until the flour and butter are incorporated and then let the mixture cook for about a minute. Then add buttermilk and cream. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can easily make it by using the same amount of milk and mixing in a little bit of acid- either lemon juice or white vinegar. Bring everything to a boil. Take the pot off the heat and add the cheese. Keep mixing so nothing burns on the bottom. Add in salt and pepper.

In another little pan, heat one tablespoon of butter and fry up the sage. This will make it crispy and delicious. I didn’t have fresh sage so I used ground instead. Instead of using a whole separate pan, I just added the ground sage directly to my pot with the caramelized shallots.

Time to bring everyone together. Pour the drained pasta in the cheese sauce. Stir in shallots and sage. Salt and pepper to taste again if it needs any more.

If you’re an absolute glutton like myself, you should bake this mac and cheese. After sampling it fresh from the pot, I decided that it would taste even better if it were baked with breadcrumbs. YUM. To do this, just pour the mac and cheese into a pyrex dish. Cover with a mixture of cheddar, gruyere and breadcrumbs. Bake for about 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. The pasta will be a little more chewy and there will be even more melty cheese.

BAKED

This dish is absolutely delicious. I think I say that every time about everything but it really is!!! I think I’m a mac-and-cheese-aholic. Every time I’m sitting in my room and I’m hungry and cold and tired, I just want some cheesy goodness. This will definitely be a go to recipe from now on.

Bite o' Baked

If you decide to try this sinful dish, be sure to go out and buy some fresh sage. I really think it would make a big difference. Also use shallots and not onions! Shallots are really sweet and delicious. And they don’t burn my eyes as much when I dice them. Also, definitely bake it. It takes an extra 20 minutes  but it’s so worth it. When you serve the mac and cheese, top it with some fresh sage or some fresh parsley. This would be perfect for a quiet night at home with the ladies (or the boys) when you’re all just craving some comfort. It really tastes like home. MAKE IT.

Bon eating,

Ariel