We are real fans of Mac ‘n’ Cheese (like most people to be fair). It is great comfort food and tastes absolutely fantastic especially if it is cooked on the BBQ.
Rather than serving as the main course, I thought I would scale down the portion size and create a starter dish. I think this would equally be well served as a main, with some slow-cooked meat and some pickles.
Cooking on the BBQ with some added wood chunks or chips adds a lovely smokiness to the dish, which already has a smoke injection from the Scamorza cheese. I am going to experiment with different combinations of cheeses. For this version, I used extra strong cheddar, scamorza and parmesan.
Mini Mac ‘n’ Cheese
We love Mac 'n' Cheese. These mini versions are absolutely lovely, providing a subtle smokey taste. Serve either as a starter or as an accompaniment to some slow-cooked BBQ meat and pickles.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Rapeseed Oil
- 125 g Elbow Macaroni
- 15 g Butter
- 15 g Flour
- 125 ml Milk (full fat)
- 125 g Cheddar (extra mature)
- 35 g Scamorza
- 1 tbsp Parmesan
- Bacon Pieces (uncooked)
Instructions
- Start by bringing a saucepan to the boil and cook your macaroni to the instructions on the packet (usually 8-10 minutes). Once finished remove from the heat, drain and then run under cold water. Set the macaroni to one side.
- Add the butter to a pan on a medium to low heat and once melted add the flour. Once combined, gradually add the milk, whisking as you add it. Keep whisking until you have a smooth sauce which will then gradually thicken.
- Once the sauce is smooth and has thickened, remove from the heat and add the cheddar and scamorza stirring into the mixture until the cheese begins to melt.
- Now add the cooked macaroni to the sauce and stir really well.
- Using the rapeseed oil, brush the inside of the ramekins, and then fill each ramekin with the macaroni mixture. As you add the mixture to the ramekin, press it down so it is really compacted.
- Take the uncooked bacon and slice into small cubes and place on top of each of the ramekins. Onc added sprinkle the parmesan over each of the ramekins.
- Set your BBQ up for indirect cooking, place the ramekins on a baking tray and then add the tray to the indirect area on the BBQ. Add a wood chunk or some wood chips to the coals and cook for around 20 minutes. Remove and serve with some grilled sourdough slices.
