Baked Singing Brook Cheese & Macaroni

We all loved macaroni and cheese as kids, but now your more experienced palate can enjoy this classic dish with Chef Feather’s twist: Blackberry Farm Singing Brook Cheese.

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces clarified butter
• 1 Vidalia onion, small diced
• 1 Tablespoon thyme
• 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
• 2 cups bakery bread crumbs
• ¼ cup melted whole butter
• 4 cups milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• ¼ cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 cups grated Singing Brook Cheese

To make:
Sweat the onion in the clarified butter on medium heat. Add in the whole butter to melt. Whisk in the flour to make a roux and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Whisk in the whole milk and cream and gradually bring the pot to a simmer, stirring constantly.

Once the mixture has started to thicken, add in the grated cheese, nutmeg and mustard. Whisk to help get the cheese melted into the sauce. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer.

Mix 3 pounds of cooked macaroni with 4 pounds of sauce. Spoon the mixture into a 13x9 pan.

For the crumb, mix the bread crumbs, herbs and melted butter. Sprinkle an even coating on the top of the macaroni and bake at 275ºF till golden brown and bubbly around the edges.

Warm Jowl Vinaigrette:
 Makes 2 ½ cups

• 2 Tablespoons minced shallots
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup dijon mustard
• ½ cup rendered jowl fat
• 1 cup olive oil
• ½ cup sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
   

To make:
Sauté shallots in a small amount of jowl fat until soft. Add remaining ingredients except the olive oil and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the olive oil and hold in a warm place. Stir before serving.

To plate, toss Winter salad greens with some of the jowl vinaigrette. On a large platter, scoop 8 ounces of hot macaroni and cheese onto one side of the plate and place the salad on the other.

Click here to discover more ways to enjoy Blackberry Farm Singing Brook Cheese!