Recipe Roasted Garlic & Stout Macaroni-And-Cheese

[TastyReuben]

ROASTED GARLIC & STOUT MACARONI-AND-CHEESE
Makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients
1 head garlic
1 TB olive oil
6 TB unsalted butter, divided
1-1/4 tsp salt, divided
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup Irish stout
2 cups (8oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups (8oz) shredded Irish cheddar
1 lb cellentani pasta*, cooked and drain

* elbow macaroni or penne are suitable substitutes

Directions
Preheat oven to 375F. Butter shallow 4-qt baking dish.

Place garlic on 10-inch piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil and crimp shut. Place on small baking sheet and bake 30 minutes or until tender. Unwrap, cool 15 minutes, then squeeze cloves out into a small bowl. Mash into smooth paste.

Microwave 2 TB butter in medium microwaveable bowl until melted. Stir in 1/4 tsp salt until dissolved. Toss bread crumbs with melted butter until evenly coated; set aside.

Melt remaining 4 TB butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; cook and stir until light brown. Stir in roasted garlic paste, remaining 1 tsp salt and black pepper. Slowly whisk in milk and stout. Simmer until thickened, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; whisk in shredded cheeses, 1/2 cup at a time, until melted.

Combine cheese mixture and pasta in large bowl. Transfer to prepared baking dish; sprinkle evenly with bread crumbs. Bake 40 minutes or until bubbly and topping is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe courtesy of Irish Pub Cooking, Publications International, Ltd.

NOTE: I used Guinness for the stout, and mature English cheddar for the Irish cheddar.

 

[Morning Glory]

Love the idea of the roasted garlic and stout. Its interesting that when I see photos of macaroni cheese from the US it seems to have much less sauce - I mean its quite 'firm'. The way I make it is with a lot more creamy cheesy sauce but maybe that is just me and not a UK thing.

 

[garlichead]

Looks fabulous. I like to take a few heads of garlic and in a small pot cover with EVOO and in a 325 heat until butter soft, and then I have a supply of garlic oil on hand. Seemed like an appropriate mention. Maybe you do this already, Cheers

 

[TastyReuben]

Love the idea of the roasted garlic and stout. Its interesting that when I see photos of macaroni cheese from the US it seems to have much less sauce - I mean its quite 'firm'. The way I make it is with a lot more creamy cheesy sauce but maybe that is just me and not a UK thing.

I can't speak for the whole country, of course, and I should point out again that I probably shouldn't even be talking about macaroni-and-cheese, because I don't care for it, but here, we seem to have two basic prep methods: oven-baked or stove-top cooked.

Just about any oven-baked version I've had has been more firm. Not necessarily dry (though some have been), just more firm, as you say.

Stove-top versions are much wetter/looser, like so:

*image from thisisnotdietfood.com

Now, that isn't to say there aren't firm stove-top ones or wet oven-baked ones, it's just this seems to be a general likelihood. That powder-based stuff from Kraft, for example, gets made on the stove, but it's pretty firm.

Between the two, if I had to eat one, I prefer the more firm version, but I really don't like either one.

 

[medtran49]

I like mac and cheese whether it's firm or creamy, though do.prefer the creamy.

Love the idea of adding a beer, but I'd have to go for something other than stout as that's just not my cup of tea.

 

[JAS_OH1]

Love the idea of the roasted garlic and stout. Its interesting that when I see photos of macaroni cheese from the US it seems to have much less sauce - I mean its quite 'firm'. The way I make it is with a lot more creamy cheesy sauce but maybe that is just me and not a UK thing.

No, I make mine with a creamy, cheesy sauce as well. And bacon on top, lots of crisp, crumbly bacon on top of the panko and parmesan topping. I usually use Gouda, cheddar, and sometimes Gruyere or Havarti for my cheese sauce. I have never tried it with stout, but sounds interesting. Roasted garlic is a no brainer, though not something most people do, but what's not to love about that? I wonder what a nice Irish whiskey would taste like in the cheese sauce?

 

[caseydog]

I can't speak for the whole country, of course, and I should point out again that I probably shouldn't even be talking about macaroni-and-cheese, because I don't care for it, but here, we seem to have two basic prep methods: oven-baked or stove-top cooked.

Just about any oven-baked version I've had has been more firm. Not necessarily dry (though some have been), just more firm, as you say.

Stove-top versions are much wetter/looser, like so:
View attachment 63767
*image from thisisnotdietfood.com

Now, that isn't to say there aren't firm stove-top ones or wet oven-baked ones, it's just this seems to be a general likelihood. That powder-based stuff from Kraft, for example, gets made on the stove, but it's pretty firm.

Between the two, if I had to eat one, I prefer the more firm version, but I really don't like either one.

That pretty well sums it up. Baked is typically like a casserole you can cut into pieces that hold their shape. Stovetop is creamy, and you spoon it onto a plate and it "oozes."

I like both. I usually make stovetop, because it is quick and easy. Baked requires more time and effort.

CD

 

[Morning Glory]

I wonder what a nice Irish whiskey would taste like in the cheese sauce?

Funny you should say that as I was working on something like that...

 

[JAS_OH1]

That pretty well sums it up. Baked is typically like a casserole you can cut into pieces that hold their shape. Stovetop is creamy, and you spoon it onto a plate and it "oozes."

I like both. I usually make stovetop, because it is quick and easy. Baked requires more time and effort.

CD

I always bake mine, but I add enough cheese sauce that it stays creamy. Gotta bake it for the bacon and panko to stay nice and crisp. I usually add those (precooked bacon) during the last 10-15 minutes.