Comfort Foods: the Best Mac and Cheese

I have a hard time dealing with winter. I'm one of those people who is usually still wrapped up in a blanket if it's 70 degrees and sunny outside, so come weeks like this when it snows more days than it doesn't and I know it's only a matter of time before the temperature get stuck in the negatives, I start to lose a lot of my willpower. On the negative side, that usually means that my house is a lot less clean and I'm a little concerned about what it will mean for the homework I'm going to be getting next week. But on the positive side, it can end up with some spectacularly tasty (if not very healthy) comfort food that makes me feel warm enough that I can stand the ice crystals on the windows.

This last week, Henry and I went to a Comfort Foods class at the Cooks of Crocus Hill. Their classes are always spectacular, and we've always especially enjoyed ones such as the one we took this week, which pairs food with both wine and beer. These are always great for quite a few reasons--they're a fun night out with a great 5 or 6 course meal, allow us to taste new food and learn how to make it, and expose us to new wines and beers that we otherwise probably wouldn't find to try. This course was taught by Chef Mike Shannon, sommelier Leslee Miller and cicerone Michael Agnew. All three of them regularly impress me with their skills, excitement and their passion to share their knowledge, and knowing that they will be teaching the class can frequently be enough to swing my decision to take it. This time was no disappointment; the food and wine was spectacular, and I even found some beer that I didn't mind drinking, which is a big step for me!

While there is a lot of knowledge I could share after my experience in this class, I'm choosing to share my favorite experience from the class, which was the macaroni and cheese. I know it sounds like a simple dish, but I have to say that this was far and above the best mac and cheese I have ever tasted. It is by no means healthy, and so January may not be the best time to be sharing this, but YUM. It's worth it. If you're trying to lose weight, it's worth the extra few hours in the gym to work it off. It's also worth throwing your diet into the wind for a week or so. Not that I mean to be a bad influence--but sometimes I just can't help it!

Mike Shannon's Four Cheese Mac and Cheese
This makes a 9x13 pan of incredibly solid mac and cheese. When I say solid, I mean he turned the pan on end and it didn't even move.

Ingredients

• 8 oz. macaroni, penne or ziti
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more for cooking pasta
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cups dry white wine
• 1 cup milk
• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 8 ounces Gruyere, grated
• 4 ounces white cheddar, grated
• 2 tablespoons gorgonzola, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 eggs, whipped
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup parmesan, grated

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling, well-salted water until just cooked, ardoun 7-12 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
3. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the shallots and cook until just browned, about 3 minutes.
4. Sprinkle the warmed butter with your flour and then cook, stirring continuously, for one minute. Add the wine, milk and cream and stir well.
5. Pour in the Gruyere, cheddar and gorgonzola cheese, and stir until melted. Add 2 tablespoons chives, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt and cayenne. Stir cooked pasta into cheese mixture, then add eggs, mix well and pour all into a shallow baking dish.
6. Melt remaining butter and combine with panko. Salt to taste.
7. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture over pasta and cheese and bake in 9x13 pan until top is browned and cheese is bubbling, 15-20 minutes.
8. Eat way, way too much. Don't feel guilty.