Missing Mac

It's been nearly 3 years since I had a cheesy, gooey, bowl of good old homemade macaroni and cheese.  My Dad makes the best mac and cheese with a really sharp cheddar cheese - cougar gold from WSU (so if you're eating dairy...do it that way). 

Though I've stayed away from cow's dairy products I've found I can tolerate goat and sheep products easier. Scientifically speaking, goats milk is more easily digestable and less allergenic. 

Anyway....it was time to attempt gluten-free goat milk macaroni and cheese.   Most of the recipes I found only used goat cheese as an accent so it was a struggle to find one with purely goat dairy products.

Here's the recipe:

 Ingredients:

• 1 package (9 oz) GF pasta of your choice
• ~1.5 tablespoons Earth Balance butter alternative
• ~1.5 tablespoons potato starch
• 1/2 onion finely chopped
• 1 tsp each: salt, ground pepper, nutmeg, garlic powder, cayenne
• 2 cups of goat milk (whole or low fat)
• 8 oz of firm goat cheese(s) of your choice, grated - I recommend a blend of various. 
• 1/4 bunch of fresh parsley leaves chopped fine
•  
• Topping: 1 cup GF breadcrumbs + 2 tablespoons softened earth balance + 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper,

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F
Prepare and chop all ingredients prior to beginning assembly.  For topping, combine ingredients in using forks until resembling texture of coarse wet send.

Melt earth balance and potato starch in a large saucepan over medium heat stirring constantly with a whisk. Add onions, continue whisking. Once the onions have become transparent and roux is barely golden in color, remove from heat.

At this time, being a large pot of water boiling for the pasta. Boil the pasta shy of time instructed on package -until al dente. Drain pasta and rinse briefly with cold water.

Heat up the goat milk in the microwave for 2 minutes. Turn the roux back to the lowest heat. Slowly pour in the heated goat milk while constantly whisking. Once incorporated, increase the heat to low-medium. The sauce will thicken up and come to a slight boil after a couple of minutes. Don't forget to stir constantly for no clumps. Turn the heat down again to low and add in all the goat cheese(s) at once. It will take a few minute for it to incorporate with stirring. Then add in the chopped parsley. Add spices, taste, and adjust seasonings as needed.

To the cheese sauce add in the cooked pasta.  Gently fold the fold the pasta and sauce together until evenly distributed. If sauce is too thick, loosen with a bit of hot water. Mixture should be quite saucy. Pour mixture into an oven safe baking dish.  Sprinkle mac & cheese with topping.

Cook uncovered in a 375F oven for 20 minutes or until the topping is a golden brown and cheese is bubbling around edges.  If necessary broil for a few minutes while closely watching.


Adapted from:  http://thesensitiveepicure.blogspot.com/2013/03/individual-goat-cheese-mac-cheese.html?m=1

The finished produced satisfied my craving.  It was super rich and wasn't as ooey gooey and traditional mac and cheese but still tasty.  I would highly recommend a blend of hard goat cheeses if possible so as to make a more complex flavored dish.