Recipe: Mike's Triple Cheese Macaroni (Mac and Cheese for Adults - It's Easy, We Swear!)

Mac and Cheese.

Macaroni and Cheese? What?! What a horrible dish! 

Mikey insists that Macaroni and Cheese is the stuff what childhood dreams are made of -- the ready to mix and eat box.  I never grew up with mac and cheese and the closest thing to gourmet cheese I had during my childhood years in the Philippines was Magnolia Quickmelt, Cheesefood, Ques-O and for the well-to-do, Velveeta.  For Christmas, the most "sosyal" was the Queso de Bola or Edam cheese.  But that's about it! 

Cheese and cheese and more cheese!!!
The possibilities are endless!

Now, that I am here and the varieties of cheese are tremendous and from different cheese making countries, the possibilities for mac and cheese are endless!  There are different grades of softness, sharpness, sweetness, saltiness, fermentation and melting possibilities.  I appreciate the different cheeses and their qualities amidst the contrast of fruit and bread or even eaten alone but never as mac and cheese. 

Until came Mikey.  I must admit that my first chance with mac cheese was never an instant love affair. First of all, it was made from the box.  But mac and cheese is mac and cheese and therefore what changed my opinion finally came to using the right kind of cheese and never, please never, Velveeta.  I don’t make it myself unless I am asked to and usually, I start with grating the cheeses and with a milk-butter roux mixture. 

Mikey, on the other hand is several things: he hates knives, he hates doing a lot of preparation and he likes to keep it simple. 

When he made it once using our leftover chesses, I brought it to the hospital and again, it was a hit.  So people were asking the recipe. And so, without further adieu, here goes... 

Mikey's Triple Cheese Macaroni (The Easy Way!) 

Ingredients. 

We love rotelle - ridges make the sauce
cling better.

• 1 pound noodle (recommend: rotelle as the ridges hold more of the melted sauce due to the surface area) 
• 1/4 cup butter 
• 1 pound cheddar, small cubes 
• 4 ounces gruyere, small cubes 
• 4 ounces gouda, small cubes 
• 1 can evaporated milk 
• small amount of water for thinning, if needed 
• salt and pepper to taste 

Procedure. 

1. Boil some water as per noodle box directions. Cook until half done.  While cooking, preheat a saute pan on the side. 
2. Drain partially the water from the noodle boil.  Transfer the noodle with some of its water to the preheated pan and add the following in order: milk, butter and cheese. 
3. Stir gently, lower the heat and cover.  Intermittently, remove the cover then stir the mixture as the cheese melts.  Be mindful to stir from the bottom of the pan to prevent over heating and burning the noodles and cheese.  Do not boil to prevent the milk from curdling. 
4. If the sauce is getting thick and some of the cheeses have not melted, feel free to add some water and stir again.  At this point, the noodles are cooking further to a more al dente texture as the cheeses are melting with the milk in forming the sauce.  Add the salt and pepper to taste.  Stir further to incorporate.  If there are still some cheeses that are not thoroughly melted, that's okay but one may cover and turn off the heat to let it settle.  This settling process would further melt the remaining cheeses. 
5. Serve warm. 

Tips. 

• In my version and a point of difference between Mike and myself is that I like to grate the cheeses to easily melt them.  Also, the butter yield is higher to 1/2 pound (a stick) melted over low heat.  To the melted butter, add about 1/6 cup of all purpose flour and whisk well until it bubbles.  This is called a roux. Add gradually, while whisking, the evaporated milk mixed with equal amount of water.  You may also use two cups of whole milk. Cover and  lower the heat to let it bubble gently to a white sauce.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Then while gently whisking, add each of the cheeses making sure each addition melts before adding the next addition - this ensures a smooth sauce.  When the cheese sauce is done, add the pasta (cooked to al dente done) and toss to coat evenly. 
• For a more decadent mac and cheese, throw in some lobster - about a cup will do.  Other suggestions are: shrimp, sliced and sautéed mushrooms in butter or crab.  If mushrooms, try the most decadent of them all - morels! 
• Some bake the mac and cheese (especially the flavored ones) before serving.  For this, put them in small ramekins, top with bread crumbs, broil in a hot oven until brown then serve. 
• Creamier mac and cheeses are done with the use of cream or half and half (which is a less sinful version of pure cream).