Japanese Mac and Cheese

Japanese Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

    * 1 pound regular or whole wheat elbow macaroni or, if paleo/gluten free, organic edamame spaghetti (available at Costco)

    * 4 tablespoons Kerrygold butter

    * grapeseed oil or organic cooking spray

    * 4 tablespoons regular or whole wheat flour or, if paleo/gluten free, brown rice flour

    * 2 cups of organic or regular half and half 

    * 1 teaspoon soy sauce

    * 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce

    * 2 tablespoons of sesame oil

    * 1/2 teaspoon salt

    * 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

    * 8 ounces shredded gruyere, or swiss/gruyere mix (available at Trader Joes)

    * 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

    * sesame seeds

Directions:

To make this tasty Asian update on an American classic, boil a large pot of water, covered. While water is heating, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Meanwhile, in a heavy, medium saucepan melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over low heat. Add the brown rice flour and stir to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and whisk in the half and half little by little. Cook 4 minutes, until thickened, stirring frequently.

The thickened béchamel sauce should look something like this:

While the béchamel sauce is thickening, add the pasta to the pot of water as soon as it has boiled and cook according to the package instructions, minus 1 minute to leave it al dente.

When the béchamel sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat, season it with the salt, pepper, soy sauce, Sriracha, and 4 ounces of the shredded gruyere or swiss/gruyere. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Cover and set aside.

The seasoned béchamel sauce will look like this:

Once the pasta has cooked, drain it in a colander and return it to the pot. Add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil and stir to combine. Add the béchamel sauce and stir until well combined. Set aside.

Then grease a baking dish with grapeseed oil or cooking spray and place one-third of the pasta in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with one-third of the cheddar and remaining gruyere. Top with another third of the pasta and another third of the cheeses. Repeat with the remaining pasta and shredded cheese. Finally, top the macaroni and cheese with a drizzle of sesame oil and a healthy sprinkling of sesame seeds. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the macaroni and cheese is bubbly and hot and the sesame seeds are golden brown.