Baked Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Mac n Cheese

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Two of my favorite things are food and friends. I aim to enjoy both as much as possible. I love cooking with friends too and last night I had the pleasure of making some tasty, unconventional mac n cheese with my friend, for my friends to eat on our cute patio with some beers and good conversation. What more do you need? ‘Twas a delicious night.

*guest chef spencer moore, recipe interpreted by domenica berman

**serves many people

 

 

 

  •  2 sweet potatoes
  • 500 grams/17.6 oz pasta
  • 1/4 cauliflower
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 2 pats butter
  • 3 cups mixed cheeses (we recommend raw cheddar, sharp cheddar and gouda)
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • olive oil
  • salt/pepper
  1. poke sweet potatoes with a fork a few times, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in tin foil and bake at 350°F for about an hour, until soft and mushy, remove and let cool
  2. in a food processor, blend them with a little olive oil and either water, milk or chicken broth to thin
  3. blend cheeses in the food processor (might want to clean it first) until it’s a curdy texture, cottage cheese-like
  4. move your sweet potato sauce into a medium sized skillet and gradually add in cheese as you go
  5. season with salt and pepper to taste
  6. cook pasta but slightly under cook it (like 3 minutes under the suggested time because you’re going to bake it after)
  7. mince garlic and heat butter in a medium sized sauce pan, then add garlic to the butter
  8. cut cauliflower into bite sized pieces and throw em in the sauce pan, cover and cook over medium high heat until tender
  9. pre-heat oven to 350°F
  10. mix the sweet potato sauce into the pasta, add the cauliflower when cooked through
  11. spread the pasta concoction into a large rectangular baking pan and sprinkle bread crumbs over, bake for 20 minutes or until starting to brown
  12. remove and sprinkle parm over, put under broil for 10 minutes or until golden and crispy

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© 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

The Cheesiest Mac n Cheese

This is arguably one of the most decadent dishes I’ve ever made but sometimes baked mac n cheese just hits the spot and we happened to have 10 kinds of cheese in the fridge so I thought what the heck, might as well just throw them all in. You can never have enough cheese.

  • 1 pack of pasta to feed 8 (preferably something with some texture to capture the creamy sauce)
  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth plus 2 tbsp
  • 1 leek
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • a handful of cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp mustard
  • 1/2 tbsp chili flakes
  • 1 tbsp brie
  • 2 tbsp bleu cheese
  • 1/4 cup goat cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated asiago
  1. cook cauliflower in pot of boiling water until tender
  2. cut cauliflower into bite size pieces and blend in a food processor or in a pot with an immersion blender
  3. mince garlic; slice leek thinly, removing rough outer layers
  4. heat olive oil and add garlic and leek, add the 2 tbsp chicken broth and tomatoes, cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until fragrant
  5. place cauliflower in pot over medium-high heat and add butter and brie, stirring occasionally until butter and brie are melted
  6. while this is working it’s magic, boil water and cook the pasta in another pot
  7. pre-heat oven to 350°F
  8. add chicken broth, milk and heavy cream, mustard and chili flakes to the cheesy cauliflower sauce
  9. crumble the bleu cheese and goat cheese into the mix
  10. once pasta is done, drain and return to the pasta cooking pot, drizzle with olive oil and pour cheese sauce over it
  11. mix well, then spread into an oven-proof pan and bake until starting to brown, about 10 minutes
  12. sprinkle asiago on top and put it under the broiler for 3 more minutes until asiago is completely melted
  13. serve warm…also good cold as leftovers. if you wanna get really crazy, slice a piece off the next day, put more cheese on it and put it back in its’ rightful place under the broiler.

© 2014 – 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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