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Monday, January 10, 2011

Weekly Recipe: Crab Mac & Cheese

A dish I often crave but rarely make is macaroni and cheese.  There's just something about dumping a pound of cheese (or more), butter, whole milk (or cream), and pasta into a pot that just gets to me.  Healthy it is not and try as I may, it's not possible to cut the calories, while still making it taste like the comfort food we all know and love.  So I decided to suck it up and take care of this craving for at least another month or so.  When I saw this recipe for Crab Mac & Cheese on Closet Cooking, I immediately bookmarked it and knew this would be the recipe I'd try when I caved.  I can tell you this is super!  The cheeses pair perfectly with the crab (fake in my case) and the hint of dried mustard gives that perfect little umph to the dish.

Crab Mac & Cheese
source:  Kevin at Closet Cooking
(Makes 4-6 servings)
 
1 pound pasta
2 tablspoons butter
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon old bay seasoning
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces gruyere (grated)
4 ounces fontina (diced - I would grate next time)
1/2 pound crab meat (cooked)
4 green onions (sliced - I omitted)
3 tablespoons butter - I omitted the topping
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (grated)

Directions:
1. Start cooking the pasta as directed on the package. (When it is done, drain it and set it aside.)
2. Melt the butter in a pan.
3. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Mix in the flour and cook until it turns a light golden brown in colour.
5. Add the milk and cream and cook until it thickens, about 3-5 minutes.
6. Add the old bay seasoning, mayonnaise, mustard and season with salt and pepper.
7. Mix in the gruyere and fontina and cook until it melts.
8. Mix in the pasta, crab and green onions and remove from heat.
9. Melt the butter in a pan.  I omitted the topping.
10. Add the breadcrumbs and toss to coat, remove from heat and mix in the parmigiano reggiano.
11. Pour the mac and cheese into a baking dish and top with the breadcrumbs.
12. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until golden brown on top and bubbling on the sides, about 20-30 minutes.


6 comments:

  1. YUM! One of my favorite combinations- cheese and crab!!!

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  2. lol. You would be appalled at our house. I LOVE to make homemade mac & cheese! I'm not great at making things healthy so I prefer to deal with portion sizes instead!

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  3. this looks delish. Cam's favorite is lobster mac and cheese, so this may be a winner as well in our household...

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  4. Yummy! I actually have a really good "healthier" mac'n'cheese option from a Betty Crocker Healthy New Choices cookbook I bought several years ago. Mike, a huge mac'n'cheese lover is a fan, if that tells you anything. I'll have to post or send you the recipe.

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  5. Oh my!!!!! That looks DELICIOUS!!! Mac and cheese is one of my most favorite dishes of all time. :D

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  6. Oh yum! I'm with you - I prefer mac n cheese without a crumb topping. It's so much better that way!

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