Truffles are a big thing in the food world. If you haven’t had truffles before, it’s hard to describe how they taste. They’re luscious, earthy, and umami-packed. They taste best fresh, shaved onto a perfect plate of pasta. If you don’t have a truffle handy, don’t miss out on the truffle train, just make this grown-up version of truffle mac and cheese.
Truffle oil isn’t nearly the same as a fresh truffle, but it’s convenient and pretty damn tasty. We picked up a bottle from Rome that says “infused with truffles,” some oils aren’t made with real truffles – they’re chemically flavoured. Regardless, truffle oil is what Heston Blumenthal calls for in his decadent take on mac and cheese.
Cream cheese really makes this mac and cheese extra creamy and rich. It’s a pretty easy recipe too – you don’t even need to make a roux! The only finicky part is the cooking down of the white wine, which is a little time consuming. Heston bakes his mac and cheese in his recipe, but I left it as a stove top recipe to keep it extra unctuous. I really enjoyed it and Mike declared it the best mac and cheese he’s ever had.
i am cheesy, i am truffled: i am truffle mac and cheese!
Truffle Mac and Cheese Recipe from Heston at Home
serves 2
- 1 1/3 cups macaroni
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon truffle oil
- 1 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, warmed
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 block cream cheese
- freshly ground pepper
Cook the macaroni according to the package. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, reduce the wine over high heat until thick, syrupy and reduced in volume to about 2 tablespoons. Drain the pasta, place in a bowl and toss with truffle oil.
Add the chicken stock to the reduced wine and adjust the heat to medium. Mix together the parmesan and flour so that the flour coats the parmesan. Add to the wine-stock mixture and stir until the cheese has been melted and mixture thickens slightly. Add the pasta and cream cheese and stir until the cream cheese is completely melted. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper and enjoy immediately.
Have made this twice now using truffle paste instead of oil (1 teaspoon) it is absolutely wonderful! A real classy twist on a classic.
Can you please tell me the weight of 1/2 block of cream cheese. Our cream cheese does not come in blocks but in various sized pots so I am not sure how much to use. Thank you
hi bev,
a standard brick here in north america is 8 ounces, so you need 4. cheers!
Is that a dry macaroni measure or cooked?
it’s a dry macaroni measure :)
What’s good to eat that’s good for you? NOTHING!
But I would just about die for this!!
I love Mac and Cheese! This recipe seems great. Ill definitely try to use it.