Salt Traders Coastal Cooking’s Bacon Mac Recipe

Enhance a childhood favorite with this delicious twist on macaroni and cheese from Salt Traders Coastal Cooking. 

By Saba Ghaffari, Photo courtesy of Resplendent Hospitality

Bacon Mac

Ingredients

1 cup butter

1 cup flour

4 cups chicken stock

4 cups whole milk

1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

4 cups Gruyere cheese

4 cups cheddar cheese

1/2 cup blue cheese

1 tablespoon chipotle puree

3 tablespoons bacon, cooked and chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Blue lump crab (optional)

Directions

1. Boil and strain the pasta of your choice and set aside.
2. To make a roux, melt the butter in a saucepan. Once it is heated, add the flour and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly. Let the mixture cook for approximately five minutes.
3. In a separate pot, heat the chicken stock, milk and chicken bouillon until it reaches a boil. Pour it over the butter-and-flour mixture and let everything cook for five minutes.
4. In a saucepan, add the three cheeses a little at a time. Then add the chipotle puree, salt and pepper.
5. Once all the cheese is added, turn the heat to medium so the sauce doesn’t burn and let it cook for as long as 10 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit of water. If it is too thin, add more cheese. Lastly, fold in the chopped bacon.
6. Pour the cheesy sauce over the pasta and finish with more cheese and breadcrumbs.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes. Finish the dish a la Salt Traders Coastal Cooking with blue lump crab.