Guinness Mac n' Cheese and a Tillamook Giveaway

There's so many Guinness recipes flying around right now - it's crazy! But with only two days left to go until St Patrick's Day, there's still time to plan your dinner for Sunday! If you're not too fond of the corned beef option you could throw this macaroni and cheese together in a third of the time. The recipe calls for three quarters cup of Guinness, so if you buy a six-pack crack open the other five bottles and be on your merry way to the end of a rainbow somewhere. This recipe didn't really start out to be a blog post - I was trying to come up with an idea for dinner and had a hankering for some creamy mac n' cheese. After much rummaging in the fridge, I closed the door clutching a bottle of the stout and a hunk of cheese...the rest is history.

The right choice of cheese for macaroni is important to me. I want a rich, cheesy flavor almost as if I was spooning fondue straight into my mouth. The cheese heads at Tillamook sent me some samples recently and I never knew Tillamook had so many different flavors. For my macaroni I used a Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar. Aged for two years, it's strong and perfect to get through all of that cream and beer in the sauce. Don't worry about it taking away the Guinness flavor, though...it still hangs around in a very mellow way! Another vital part of making mac n' cheese is the crunchy topping. I grated some Garlic Chili Pepper Cheddar and added to it some panko breadcrumbs and shredded cabbage. Toasted under the broiler and this mac n' cheese is ready for the celebration on Sunday!

Have you heard of the Tillamook Loaf Love Tour? The Tillamook buses are driving all over the country spreading the love of cheese. Check here for the schedule of when they could be in your town and go say hi!

  

Tillamook have also offered to provide a bunch of cheese and love tour swag to one lucky reader. Just leave me a comment telling me what you like to do with cheese. The giveaway will end at 10 p.m. PST, March 20. One winner will be chosen at random and notified via email. 

Recipe for Guinness Mac n' Cheese:

2 Tablespoon unsalted butter

2 Tablespoon flour

3/4 cup Guinness draught

1 cup half and half

1 1/2 cups milk

Salt and pepper

1 1/4 cups grated extra strong white cheddar

2 1/2 cups elbow macaroni pasta

For the topping-

1/2 cup grated garlic and chili cheddar

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup shredded cabbage (optional)

Place a large 4-6 quart pot full of water on medium heat and bring to a boil for the pasta. In a medium sized pot combine the half and half, milk and Guinness and heat until warm.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter and add the flour to it. Whisk together for about 2-3 minutes until it starts to turn light brown. Start to add the hot milk mixture to the flour/butter mixture one ladle at a time. Whisk after each ladle making sure to get rid of any lumps before adding more liquid.

Keep adding the liquid until there's about one cup left. (Keep this to the side for now in case the sauce is too thick after adding the grated cheese). Simmer the sauce for about six minutes to cook out the flour taste, whisking continuously.

Add the grated strong cheddar and mix until melted. Add the leftover milk mixture and mix again until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook the macaroni as per the instructions on the package. Drain and transfer back into the pot. Add the cheese sauce mixture to the macaroni and stir through coating it completely.

In a separate bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Spoon the macaroni into one dish or several individual ramekins like I did. Top lightly with the panko mixture.

Set your broiler to high. Put the mac n' cheese on a baking tray and place under the broiler. Keep moving the  tray around if the top of the macaroni starts to get too dark. Broil for about 5 minutes until brown and crunchy. Serve at once.

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Tillamook have graciously offered to host this giveaway. I was not compensated in any way other than some samples of Tillamook cheese. The winner will receive free product coupons.