Northern VIrginia Catering
 |
|
| Mac ‘N Cheese Mini Muffins |
“Do you make Mac ‘N Cheese Muffins?”
I do now.
Honestly, this was a new one for me the caterer. When I looked at that email inquiry, I tried to picture what a Mac ‘N Cheese Muffin might be. Pasta in the “Shape” of a muffin, or a regular breakfast muffin with pasta instead of blueberry? A quick internet search provided the answer. It is indeed a thing, and a miniature version was exactly what my client was looking for. Catering a graduation party in a backyard Northern Virginia home this past weekend. You don’t need to be 18 years old to enjoy these fun treats. Any extra cheesy version of your favorite mac n cheese recipe will work, and once cooked and cooled ahead of time, they can easily be reheated gently right before serving. They are also fantastic room temperature.
The following is a recipe adapted from the Food Network website www.foodnetwork.com
Ingredients
Panko Mix:
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
Mac and Cheese:
1 pound small elbow macaroni
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 2/3 cups milk
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt
4 cups packed shredded Gruyere cheese
(I used a mixture of sharp cheddar, Gouda, Asiago, Parmesan)
1 cup shredded Cheddar
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
(I used cream cheese instead)
Nonstick cooking spray, for spraying muffin pans
Directions
Special equipment: two 24-cup mini-muffin pans
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
For the panko mix: Mix the panko, Parmesan, olive oil and garlic together and set aside.
For the mac and cheese: Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
In the meantime, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed medium
saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add
the milk and whisk constantly until the mixture thickens. Reduce the
heat to low and add the Worcestershire and salt to taste. Slowly fold in
the Gruyere, Cheddar and goat cheese and heat through until all the
cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Fold the cooked macaroni into the
cheese mixture.
Spray mini-muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray and dust with
the panko mix. Put the muffin pans in the oven and bake until the panko
is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove the pans and lower the
temperature to 350 degrees F. Carefully fill the cups the rest of the
way with the mac and cheese, packing tightly. Bake until golden brown,
about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the tops with the panko mix and continue
baking until the tops are golden brown, about 5 minutes more.
Let the muffins cool before removing them from the pan. Repeat with the remaining macaroni and cheese and panko mixture.
I tripled the recipe and made about 175 of these puppies. Always on the lookout for a fun appetizer to add to our offerings. Try the recipe out yourself or give us a call for your next catered event.