Gourmet 4 cheese Mac and Cheese with Serrano Ham

Total Time 1 hour and 15 minutes (Cook time 50 minutes) Serves 6

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup flour

4 cups milk, warm

1 teaspoon dry mustard

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or hot sauce to taste

Salt to taste

Dash Worcestershire Sauce

8 oz shredded Amish cheddar

8 oz shredded Asiago

4 oz shredded BellaVitano Balsamic

1 pound macaroni of your choice, cooked al dente

1 stack crumbled butter cracker (Ritz like)

2 oz shaved Serrano ham lightly fried and crumbled

2 oz Parmigiano Reggiano crumbled for topping

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt butter in large sauce pan over medium heat.  Add flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Whisk in the warm milk and bring to a boil, continue to whisk constantly. The mixture will thicken as the heat increases. Continue to whisk while adding the dry mustard, nutmeg, cayenne, salt and Worcestershire. Stir in the cheddar, Asiago, Bellavitano and stir until it is melted.

Pour cheese sauce over noodles and add to a 3 quart casserole dish.

Sprinkle top with cracker crumbs, Serrano crumbs and Parmigiano crumbles. Bake for 35 minutes.

Green Olive Jam and Tetilla Cheese

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serve with a white Ribeiro wine from Galicia to bring out the contrast between the soft texture of the cheese and the daring bitter-sweetness of the olive jam.

Ingredients

4 oz Spanish green olives
1 oz brown sugar
1 oz gr white sugar
4 oz Tetilla cheese

Preparation

To make the jam, take the green olives and wash them carefully under cold running water. Dry the olives well, place them in a blender or food processor and blend them until you obtain a smooth purée. Place the purée in a saucepan and add the brown sugar and the white sugar. Cook it slowly for about until the sugar melts and starts to caramelize. When it reaches a thick consistency remove from the heat and let the jam cool completely. Serve the jam on cocktail spoons with a small cube of Tetilla cheese on top.