This White Wine Mac and Cheese begins with a touch of sweetness from the wine and gruyere and ends with a kick of cayenne. Don't skip the toasted bread crumb topping if you can help it. The best wine for this comfort classic enhances the creaminess and contrasts with tart brightness.
While we love macaroni and cheese, we do not love the carbs. When I ran across George Stella’s recipe for, I knew I had to try it, even though I’m not a huge cauliflower fan. It’s actually even better than it sounds! As usual, I tweaked it a bit to suit my cooking habits and our tastes. Since I don’t use garlic in any of my Mac & Cheese recipes, I skipped it here too. We both felt the consistency was more comparable to potatoes than pasta.
I have a feeling if you used the garlic, the comparison would be even closer to an au gratin potato type dish than macaroni and cheese. I served it with ham steaks, steamed sugar snap peas and pinot grigio. We are both hooked and I can see a lot of it in our future! Cheesy Cauliflower 1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets 1 cup heavy or light cream 2 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 8 oz. Shredded 2% extra sharp Cheddar cheese, divided 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt Preheat oven to 375째F. Spray an 8x8inch baking dish or similar sized casserole dish with vegetable oil spray.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the cauliflower in the boiling water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well in a colander while preparing the sauce. Warm the cream in a small saucepan, and stir in the cream cheese and mustard until smooth.
Stir in approximately 6 ounces of the shredded cheese, salt and pepper and stir until the cheese melts, about 1 to 2 minutes. Meanwhile, transfer the cauliflower to the baking dish. Remove the sauce from the heat, pour over the cauliflower, and stir to combine. Top with the remaining cheese and bake until browned and bubbly hot, about 20 minutes.
“By all means, break the rules, and break them beautifully, deliberately, and well.” I first read this on a horribly uncomfortable futon for a college Typography class. It’s highlighted in the textbook I still keep— Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst.
One of my favorite things about life is that a book about typography can inform this White Wine Mac and Cheese recipe 12 years later. Everything informs everything. That kind of magic is real. This post was created in an ongoing partnership withTheir Moscato is my absolute favorite white wine to cook with (even though it’s meant for sipping). Find Seven Daughters, on, and on. I’ve written about it before. You’re not supposed to cook with Moscato.
It’s always omitted from the lists of white-wines-to-cook-with. I’ve tried to follow the rules, using dry white wines. I’ve also thrown out entire batches of white wine sauces, like this that end up too citrusy and tangy. For the love of better white wine sauces, I had to break the rules. Is my cooking white wine of choice.
(I’d tell you that even if I didn’t work with them.) Moscato is sweet, sweeter than a Riesling. This particular Moscato isn’t tangy or dry, which is why I love cooking with it. It produces a beautiful, round flavor that’s so hard to pinpoint and so pleasing to eat. Though it’s not uncommon to shy away from sweetness when composing a savory meal, my favorite combination is a harmony of spicy, sweet, and salty notes. In some cases, a bit of sweetness is necessary in cooking, especially to cut the acidity of a tomato sauce or the bitterness of a tahini sauce.
And in other cases, it’s just an accessory, a very good accessory, like this White Wine Mac and Cheese, paired with a sweet gruyere, offset by a sharp white cheddar and kick of cayenne at the end. If you’re going to break the rules, I just hope it tastes like this. In a small saucepan filled 2/3s full of water, bring water to a boil. Salt water liberally and add noddles. Cook according to package instructions until al dente. Meanwhile, measure and prepare the remaining ingredients.
Turn the oven to broil. In the same saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in flour until smooth, and cook for 30 seconds to toast off the raw flour flavor. Slowly pour in milk, whisking to evenly combine. Add in the white wine, dijon, salt, and cayenne.
Stir continually until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Whisk in cheese until smooth. Heat for an additional minute. Stir in pasta noodles.
(It's perfectly fine to serve as is, but the topping is just so delicious, don't skip it if you can help it.) Pour the macaroni in a small enamel baking dish or 2 individual ramekins. Top with the panko and parmesan, then drizzle with olive oil. Place under the broiler until the topping is golden, keeping close watch.