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Originally uploaded by jennasuz.

It was good. It was very good.

The best part was the almond crust. No, the creamy gruyere. No, it was definitely the crust.

And with a leap of faith, I left my husband with the baking instructions. And I was pleasantly surprised with his results. Nice job, hon.

Here I thought I wasn’t a fan of Mac ‘n Cheese. Now if only I didn’t have to restock my lactaid pills after each and every meeting with this creamy dream of a dish.

Almond Crusted Mac ‘n Cheese

  • 8 oz. Elbow Macaroni (2 cups)
  • 1 large shallots, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 1/2 packed cups grated Gruyere cheese
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

Almond crust:

  • 1/2 cup whole almonds
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter 11×7 inch baking dish. Cook macaroni in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain well.

Melt butter in a small skillet over medium high heat. Sautee shallots until soft and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Set aside.

Blend 1/3 cup Parmesan, almonds and breadcrumbs in processor until nuts are coarsely ground. Add 1/2 cup almond mixture to prepared dish. Tilt dish to coat bottom and sides. Return any loose almond mixture to processor.

In a large bowl, whisk 1/2 cup Gruyere, whipping cream, milk, sauteed shallots, and nutmeg. Add macaroni and toss to coat. Check for seasoning. Transfer macaroni to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining one cup Gruyere over the top, then finish with the last of the almond crust.

Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes until cheese melts, crust browns, and macaroni and cheese sets. Serve warm.

Tag: mac-n-cheese-off