Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Mac N’ Cheese Pies

Remember that book club I mentioned a week or two ago?  The final items I made for the gathering were these mini mac n’cheese pies. I’ve seen these cute little treats all over pinterest so I decided to try The Curvy Carrot’s version.

The Curvy Carrot
I started by making the crust and pressing it into the muffin pan.


Then I mixed the cooked & hot macaroni with butter, shredded white cheddar, and garlic & herb cheese. The recipe called for Bousrin Garlic and Herb cheese but unfortunately, I couldn’t find it in my super market. I searched for at least 20 minutes. I looked in the nice cheese section, then the cheap cheese section, then the nice cheese section again, and then in the cheap cheese section again and there was no Boursin to be found! I’m sure it was right in front of my face but after looking for so long, I got fed up and made a substitution. I ended up buying the Laughing Cow Garlic and Herb cheese. I honestly don't think it made a big difference. 


I mixed up the eggs, milk, sour cream, salt, & red pepper flakes and added them to the macaroni mixture.


It was a bit watery, but it firms up after baking. I divided the mixture up & filled up the muffin pan and topped with the left over white cheddar.


Then bake for about 20 minutes and enjoy!

I neglected to take a finished picture before putting them out for my guests to enjoy. So here’s what remained after book club...


The Verdict: I didn’t love them (didn’t hate them either) but I think that it was a color thing. In my mind, mac n’cheese should be made with orange cheese (like Kraft’s mac n’cheese). So, the color thing sort of turned me off. But you should know, this is all coming from the girl who only eats mint chocolate chip ice cream if it’s green (I know, it’s just food dye but I still like it to be green).

Regardless of my weirdness, they were a hit at book club. My roommate really enjoyed them and even saved the leftovers for lunch the next day. She did mention that the crust was tad too rich and buttery.



Things to Note/Consider: Nothing to really add or change to this recipe! They are super cute and not too difficult to make.

Mini Mac n’Cheese Pies
adapted from TheCurvyCarrot

1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, crushed
2 cups white cheddar cheese, grated
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 and 1/2 cups cooked elbow macaroni (about 8 ounces uncooked)
One 5.2-ounce container of Boursin Garlic and Herb cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch red pepper flakes
·         Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and generously spray your muffin pan with cooking spray.
·         In a large bowl, combine the crushed Ritz crackers, 1 cup of the shredded white cheddar cheese, and the melted butter, mixing well until the mixture holds together and resembles coarse sand.
·         Divide the mixture among the muffin cups and, using your fingers or the back of a spoon, firmly press the crust into the bottoms and up the sides of each muffin cup.
·         In another large bowl, combine the cooked (and still hot!) macaroni with 1/2 cup of the shredded white cheddar, the Boursin cheese, and the butter, mixing well.
·         In a small bowl, combine the eggs, milk, sour cream, salt, and red pepper flakes, mixing well.
·         Add the egg/milk mixture to the cooked macaroni, mixing until all the ingredients are melted and smooth.
·         Place about 2-3 tablespoons of the macaroni mixture into each muffin cup.
·         Top each muffin cup with the remaining white cheddar.
·         Bake the mac and cheese pies until lightly golden on top, about 20-25 minutes.
·         Let cool slightly before removing from the muffin pan, garnish with parsley, and serve immediately.

4 comments:

  1. I don't care about color; these look awesome! I can't wait to make.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Be sure to let us know how they turn out!

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  2. For the record, I'm the exact same way about color... can't have mint chocolate chip ice cream if it isn't cream, can't have macaroni if it isn't orange. But they still look yummy. I'd probably just melt regular cheddar over the top... give it that nice orange color. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad I'm not the only one! Melting cheddar is a great idea! I'll have to try that the next time I make them.

      Delete

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