Cheese, Please! ... Spanish Inspired Mac & Cheese

About four years ago I took a series of cooking classes from a private chef. After each class we had a cooking assignment and one of them was to make our own rendition of mac and cheese using Bechemel sauce. I decided to go with a Spanish inspired mac and cheese using three different ages of Manchego cheese. I wanted to use Iberico ham but couldn't find any locally at the time so used prosciutto instead since they are quite similar.

I invited some friends over for dinner to taste the mac and cheese and it was a hit. When we tried everyone's mac and cheese at the next cooking class we voted on who had made the best one and I received the most votes which made me pretty happy since I have never actually been a fan of mac and cheese and that was the first and last time I had ever made it up until this week.

Spanish Mac & Cheese

Bechemel sauce:
   3 tbsp flour
   3 tbsp unsalted butter
   3 cups half-n-half (or milk)
   freshly grated nutmeg

6 oz chopped Jamon Iberico
500 gms short cut pasta
8 oz grated Asiago cheese
8 oz grated Manchego cheese
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 minced shallot
salt and pepper to taste

Notes: I used half-n-half instead of milk to give it a richer flavor. I used Garofalo Casarecce pasta. Most short cut pasta will work but penne is likely too thick.

Bechemel sauce: make the roux by melting the butter, adding the flour little by little, whisking the mixture the entire time. Let it cook for a few minutes and then slowly add the half-n-half (or milk). Continue to whisk over low heat, adding a bit of freshly grated nutmeg. Remove from heat after 10 minutes or so.

Saute the minced shallot in butter. Add the grated cheese to the Bechemel stirring until it's melted. Stir in the chopped ham and shallots. Salt and pepper to taste. In the meantime, boil the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta and mix into the cheese sauce. Pour into a baking dish and bake at 350° until browned on top. Serve.

I was pleased with the flavor of this mac and cheese however I don't believe it was quite as good as the one I made four years ago. My boyfriend thought it was excellent but he never tried the original one since I had made it a couple months before I met him. If I ever make this again I'll use Manchego of 2-3 different ages as it creates a more complex flavor.

The cheeses

I purchased both of my cheeses from Costco. The Kirkland Lake Country Asiago is made in Wisconsin. I had read that asiago cheese made in the US tends to be more like a jack cheese than what one finds in Italy but this particular brand tastes similar to other Italian Asiago cheeses I've had. The Kirkland Manchego Cheese is made in Spain.

This is my entry for January Cheese, Please! @ Fromage Homage.