Mac & Cheese Pie
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Mains
Description
A golden mac and cheese pie filled with creamy and silky egg-enriched béchamel, complete with three cheeses.
Ingredients
Pie Crust
250 g plain flour
½ tsp (2,5 ml) salt
120 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 Large Nulaid Free Range Egg, yolk only
2–3 Tbsp (30–45 ml) cold water
Macaroni
300 g macaroni
Salted water for cooking
Egg-enriched Cheese Sauce
60 g butter
60 g plain flour
600 ml milk, warmed
2 Large Nulaid Free Range Eggs, yolks only
120 g mature cheddar, grated
100 g mozzarella, grated
60 g Parmesan, finely grated
½ tsp (2,5 ml) mustard powder
1 tsp (5 ml) dried origanum
Salt and white pepper, to taste
200 g packet diced bacon, fried until golden and rendered
Topping
1–2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
40 g grated mature cheddar
20 g grated Parmesan
To Serve
Fresh origanum
Fresh basil
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Pie Crust
Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the egg yolk and enough cold water to form a soft dough. Shape into a disc, cover in cling wrap and place in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes.
Roll out the pastry and line a greased 22 cm springform cake tin. Prick the base with a fork and leave to chill in the fridge while preparing the filling.
Macaroni
Cook the macaroni in salted boiling water until just al dente. Drain well and set aside.
Egg-enriched Cheese Sauce
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute to form a roux. Gradually whisk in the warm milk, stirring continuously until thick and smooth.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Stir a few tablespoons of the hot cheese sauce into the yolks to temper them and prevent them from scrambling, then whisk the mixture back into the sauce. Cook gently for another minute until silky and thickened.
Remove from the heat and stir in the cheddar, mozzarella and Parmesan until melted. Add the mustard powder, origanum and season with salt and white pepper.
Fold the cooked macaroni through the cheese sauce and add the bacon.
Preheat the oven to 190 °C. Spoon the macaroni mixture into the prepared pastry shell and top with slices of tomato. Sprinkle the topping cheeses evenly over the surface. Bake for 30–35 minutes until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling.
Allow the pie to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with chopped fresh origanum and freshly ground black pepper before serving.
