Macaroni & Blue Cheese

In my never ending and delicious quest for the perfect macaroni and cheese, I present Macaroni and Blue Cheese. I happened to have a lot of leftover blue cheese from a wine tasting event. This recipe does not supersede the Marian Burros mustard kissed, bechamel based macaroni and cheese for best mac & cheese recipe, but it is pretty tasty. I used Maytag blue and Cabot white cheddar and left off the chives. I also used crème fraîche instead of whipping cream. The recipe is from epicurious.

Macaroni and Blue Cheese with Chives

1 pound spiral tube-shaped pasta
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1 cup whipping cream
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly (do not allow to brown).

Gradually whisk in milk and cream. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly, whisking occasionally, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add grated cheddar cheese and 1 cup crumbled blue cheese. Whisk until cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Add cooked pasta to sauce; stir to coat. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup blue cheese. Bake until sauce begins to bubble, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with chives and serve.