Truffle Parmesan Mac & Cheese Muffins
Found this online and it looks really good. I just haven't had the chance to try it yet.
Found this online and it looks really good. I just haven't had the chance to try it yet.
- Carbohydrate 53.5691127092588 g
- Cholesterol 60.6988437695445 mg
- Fat 15.927993444624 g
- Fiber 2.97591671784719 g
- Protein 24.5129428227752 g
- Saturated Fat 8.90650942134179 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (136g)
- Sodium 1056.13400046044 mg
- Sugar 50.5931959914116 g
- Trans Fat 1.1588007712092 g
- Calories 460 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, olive oil and salt.
- Cook the elbow macaroni for about 8 minutes; they should still be a little bit firm. Remove from the heat, drain and place in a pan. Stir in the butter and egg until pasta is evenly coated.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of sharp cheddar cheese. Stir the remaining cheddar cheese, parmesan and mozzarella, along with some milk and truffle oil into the pasta.
- Spoon into the prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle the reserved cheese and the bread crumb mixture over the tops.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
Pulling the macaroni from the boiling water at precisely the eight-minute mark prevents the pasta from turning into mush during the subsequent thirty-minute bake in the oven. Undercooking the elbow noodles slightly ensures they retain structural integrity when mixed with butter, egg, and three distinct cheeses. Starch continues to soften as ambient heat circulates around the muffin tin, which means fully cooked pasta at the boiling stage results in a collapsed, pasty interior.
Serving this rich finger food requires a counterpoint to cut through the intense dairy fat and heavy concentration of mozzarella, cheddar, and parmesan. A bitter green salad dressed sharply with lemon juice and raw shallots pierces the heavy profile of the baked portions effectively. Alternatively, roasted bitter vegetables like Brussels sprouts charred at 425 degrees F provide the necessary textural contrast against the soft, yielding interior of the pasta cups.
Truffle oil degrades rapidly under excessive heat, so measuring the half teaspoon accurately protects the delicate aromatic compounds from turning acrid during baking. Combining the olive oil and salt directly with the seasoned bread crumbs before topping creates a reliable moisture barrier that browns evenly without burning. High-fat cheeses release excess oils in a hot oven, making a well-greased metal muffin pan mandatory for easy release.
Standard nonstick twelve-cup tins work best here, but silicone molds present an interesting alternative provided you place them on a sturdy baking sheet for stability during transfer. Without that rigid metal sheet underneath, flexible silicone flexes and spills liquid batter across the oven floor. Letting the baked portions rest in the pan for ten minutes allows the melted mozzarella to set and bind the individual macaroni tubes together properly.
