Ultimate Recipe Showdown

One of the Food Network shows that has caught my eye recently is The Ultimate Recipe Showdown. In this show, three average schmoes compete in a given category with their own recipes from home. The first show I caught was the comfort foods challenge. The winner of the challenge, Rick Massa, made a cheese lover's 5 cheese mac and cheese that had me wanting to lick my tv screen. The plus to this show: the winners of each challenge had their recipe adapted and put on the T.G.I. Friday's menu. Since there isn't a Fridays in the town I live in, I had to wait until I made a trip to Grand Rapids for the weekend to try the melty, cheesy goodness. And that's just what I ordered. It came at a bargain price of $5.99. They altered his recipe by using penne pasta instead of cellantini, and topping the dish with a sliced, grilled chicken breast.

I must say that the cheese sauce was delightful, and the chicken breast was juicy and tender and seasoned to perfection. I could definitely taste the potential of the ingredients in this dish. However, it was a busy friday night at the restaurant, and the penne definitely tasted like it had been sitting around for a while. It had a nice gluey texture. (Err not-so-nice.) I almost ordered it without bacon, trying to be healthy, but I wanted to see what it brought to the dish. It gave a certain depth and smokiness that couldn't be completed by the cheeses. I certainly have hope for making the actual recipe at home.

Cheese Lover's 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese (Cheesy, isn't it?) :

• Kosher salt
• 1 (16-ounce) package macaroni (cellentani or other curly noodle)
• 1/4 pound bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more to butter baking dish
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups grated fontina
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
  
• 3/4 cup grated Gruyere
• 3/4 cup grated white Cheddar (Australian)
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain.

In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, saute the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Saute the onion in the bacon drippings until soft. Add the 5 tablespoons butter to the onion mixture and melt the butter stirring with a wooden spoon.

Using a whisk, add the flour, and stir constantly until well mixed with the fat making a roux. Whisk in the mustard. Gradually add the milk and cream whisking constantly.

Add the thyme, bay leaf, and salt. Let come to a simmer and stir frequently for 15 minutes.

Strain the hot milk mixture into a metal bowl and discard the solids. Working quickly, mix in 1 cup fontina, blue cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere, 1/2 cup white Cheddar, 1/2 cup Parmesan, the reserved bacon, and parsley. Continue to stir until all cheese is melted.

Add the cooked noodles to the cheese mixture to coat. Add the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Mix the remaining cheese and bread crumbs together and sprinkle on top of the noodles. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown. Remove from oven when done and rest for 5 minutes.

I can't wait to try this recipe. If you make it, be sure to comment here on how you liked it, and any other suggestions that may be helpful.