French Onion Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- ⅛ cup (80ml) butter
- 2 large onions, sliced
- ¼ cup (60ml) water
- Salt and milled pepper
- Fresh thyme, for serving
Basic mac ’n cheese:
- 8 cups (2L) milk
- 4–6 bay leaves
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2–3 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
- Handful black peppercorns
- 1 packet (500g) elbow macaroni
- ½ cup (125ml) butter
- ½ cup (125ml) flour
- Salt and milled pepper
- 1 tsp (5ml) smoked paprika
- 2 cups (240g) grated cheddar cheese
- 1 cup (100g) grated gruyère cheese (or any other hard cheese)
- 1 cup (120g) grated mozzarella
- 2 tsp (10ml) Dijon mustard
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
- Pinch cayenne pepper
Topping:
- 1 cup (100g) grated gruyère cheese (or any other hard cheese)
- ½ cup (60g) grated cheddar cheese
Method
- Heat butter in a pan over medium heat.
- Tip in onions, water and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelised (about 20–25 minutes). Set aside.
- Gently heat milk, bay leaves, onion, garlic and peppercorns in a pot for 8–10 minutes.
- Meanwhile cook macaroni in a pot of salted boiling water for 8 minutes, then drain and set aside.
- Remove milk from heat. Cover and leave to infuse for at least 10 minutes, then strain out aromatics.
- Melt butter in a large saucepan. Remove from heat and vigorously whisk in flour until a smooth paste (roux) forms.
- Return to stove and pour in ½ cup (125ml) infused milk, whisking continuously.
- Add remaining milk in batches, allowing sauce to thicken slightly before next addition. (This will take about 10 minutes.)
- Season with salt and pepper and add paprika.
- Remove from heat and stir in cheese (in batches). Set aside
- Stir cooked pasta, onion mixture, mustard, thyme and cayenne pepper through sauce, coating well. Season.
- Spoon into a 30cm ovenproof dish, top with cheese and grill in the oven until bubbly and golden, about 10–15 minutes.
- Sprinkle with thyme and serve warm.
