Prairie Breeze Mac & Cheese

Prairie Breeze Cheddar from Milton Creamery is a bold, aged cow’s milk cheddar with a slightly sweet, tangy bite and those signature crunchy crystals, making it an especially rich and flavorful choice for an ultra-comforting mac and cheese.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups milk
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 9 ounces Milton Creamery Prairie Breeze, grated (about 2¼ cups)
  • 4 ounces Milton Creamery Morning Harvest or Milton Creamery Old Style, grated (about 1 cup)
  • 2 cups elbow macaroni
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs or panko
  • 2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
  2. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish, set aside.
  3. In a small saucepan, heat the milk.
  4. Melt 3 Tbsp butter in a larger saucepan over medium heat.
  5. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes to make a roux.
  6. Slowly pour hot milk into the roux while whisking. Continue cooking and whisking constantly until the mixture becomes thick and bubbly.
  7. Remove the pan from the heat and add the salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne, mustard and cheeses. Mix until all are fully incorporated and melted.
  8. Cook the macaroni following the manufacturer’s instructions, but drain 2-3 minutes sooner than recommended.
  9. Rinse the macaroni under cold water in a colander, then drain well–shaking the colander.
  10. Stir the drained macaroni into the cheese sauce and transfer all to the greased casserole dish.
  11. Mix the crumbs/panko with the melted butter and scatter across the top of the macaroni.
  12. Bake uncovered until bubbling and brown on top, 25-30 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of: Milton Creamery

Photo by Keith Hanson Jr on Unsplash