Alex Guarnaschelli's Mac & Cheese Recipe - It's Out of This World

Save room for seconds! PERRI ORMONT BLUMBERG Food Network star Alex Guarnaschelli knows a thing or two about getting a delicious dinner on the table. But if you really want to wow your guests, bookmark this recipe: Crab Macaroni and Cheese. And while you may think succulent, tender crab is what makes this dish so dreamy, you'd only be partially correct. Chef Alex's secret addition? Chardonnay wine. "I am always looking for simple ways to enhance classic recipes," she tells Southern Living. "The wine [illuminates] the crabmeat and makes this dish hard to resist!"

Category: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Ready in 1 hour
by MontaniEers

Ingredients

2 cups Chardonnay of choice

pinch sea salt (or sauvignon salt) to taste

1 pound Elbow Macaroni Noodles

3 cups Heavy cream

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3 1/2 cups Swiss Cheese grated

1/2 cup Sharp Cheddar cheese grated

1 cup Parmesan cheese finely grated

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce

1 pound Fresh lump Crabmeat look for shell pieces


Directions

Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 350F. 2. Reduce the wine: In a medium pot, reduce the wine over medium heat until the liquid measures about ½ cup, five-to-eight minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. 3. Cook the pasta: In a large pot, bring four quarts water and two tablespoons of the wine salt to a rolling boil. It should taste like seawater. Stir in the macaroni and cook but leave quite firm, six-to-eight minutes. Drain the reserve pasta, keeping some of the cooking liquid. 4. Make the macaroni sauce: In the same pot holding the reduced wine, add the cream and the mustard to a simmer gently over medium-low heat with a pinch of wine salt or salt. Stir in the three cups of the Swiss cheese, all of the cheddar and ½ of the Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire and Tabasco and warm until cheese melts, three-to-five minutes. 5. Finish the dish: Add the macaroni to the cream and stir gently to blend. Allow the macaroni to “rest” on the stove, five-to-ten minutes, so the pasta absorbs the flavors. Transfer half of the macaroni to an ovenproof baking dish (about 9” x 13”), sprinkle with an even layer of about half of the crab. Gently layer on the remaining macaroni and crab. 6. Make the breadcrumb mix and finish the dish: In a medium bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with remaining Swiss and Parmesan cheeses and parsley. Top the pasta with the breadcrumbs and bake in the oven 15-20 minutes or until browned and hot. Now, for the perfect salad to balance out this decadent dish, try one of these 68 quick and delicious summer salads.

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