PASTA INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb penne, rigatoni or your favorite shaped pasta
- 6 qts water boiled with 2 T salt
- 1.5 T Italian black truffle oil – or 3 T Oregon truffle oil
- 2 T evoo – use the best finishing oil you can get your hands on
- 2 cloves garlic – smash with the flat side of a chef’s knife on your cutting board, add a big pinch of salt, chop and smash until it’s become a paste
- 1 T fresh chopped thyme
- .5 t The Meadow’s truffle salt
- .25 t cayenne pepper
PASTA METHOD
1. Boil pasta in salted water to the al dente stage,1 to 2 mins less than mfg recommendation
2. Drain pasta fully and immerse immediately into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process, drain again
3. Toss cooled pasta with truffle oil, evoo, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper – adjust seasonings
CHEESE SAUCE INGREDIENTS
- 4 T salted butter
- 5 T white flour
- 3 c whole milk separated, 1 c, 2 c
- 1.5 lbs grated Tillamook Vintage White cheddar cheese – or any extra sharp cheddar
- .5 lb grated Parmesan Reggiano – separated into 2 equal amounts
- 2 t Dijon mustard
- .25 t grated nutmeg
- .5 t cayenne or white pepper
- salt to taste
CHEESE SAUCE METHOD
1. Melt butter on med heat for 4 mins or until fully melted in a 1 qt pot
2. Whisk in flour
3. Cook butter/flour (roux) on med heat for 2 mins, stirring occasionally – if the roux gets a little color don’t worry, it won’t change the flavor of the cheese sauce unless it gets really dark
4. After 2 mins, vigorously whisk in 1 c whole milk until it’s become a smooth paste and you see no lumps, add more milk if it’s too thick to whisk easily
5. When it’s smooth whisk in the additional 2 c whole milk
6. Turn up heat to med/high and bring to a boil stirring constantly so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot – if it does DON’T scrape it off with your whisk, you don’t want to incorporate burnt milk into your smooth, velvety béchamel
7. Remove béchamel from the heat and whisk in handfuls of grated cheese – all of the cheddar and .5 of the parmesan – fully incorporate each handful of cheese before adding the next
8. If the sauce cools down while your adding the cheeses and they aren’t fully melting in, place the pot back on med heat for a minute or two, stirring constantly
9. When all cheese is incorporated add mustard, nutmeg, pepper and salt
COMPOSING AND PLATING
1. Preheat oven to 400°
2. Toss cooled pasta with 1.5 to 2 c of warm cheese sauce – the actual amount of sauce you’ll need depends on the shape of the pasta and how saucy you like your mac
3. Pour sauced pasta into an oven proof casserole (or individual ramekins) and top with the remaining grated parmesan and a little crouton dust
4. Bake at 375º for about 20 mins or until nicely browned on top and hot in the center
5. Removed mac from the oven and finish with chopped parsley and crushed Zupan’s garlic croutons.
ENJOY!
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