Miso Truffle Mac and Cheese

Happy Sunday, Everyone! Did you survive the great Thanksgiving Feast? You are probably getting tired of everything turkey by now, so how about switching it up with some delicious pasta and an unexpected twist?

When I was growing up, macaroni and cheese was an integral part of my life. Like peanut butter and jelly for some, those little blue and orange boxes were my comfort food. Somehow, that surreal, orange power magically turned into a tasty, salty sauce that I could rely on time and time again. I learned how to make a box of this addictive stuff not long after scrambled eggs (see my first post). I don't even want to think about how many bowls I have eaten over the years or what they have probably done to my life expectancy.

Fortunately, my taste buds have matured in recent years, and I have started making more age-appropriate mac and cheese. Once I figured out the basic roux, I experimented with different cheeses and different add-ins. But I had never thought to add miso and truffle oil to my creations until I had this version a few years ago at a very surprising type of restaurant.

At the time, I was working for a company with a large office in San Diego, CA. The first time I visited the office, my colleagues took me to their favorite restaurant, a sushi place called Sushi Exchange. We were surprised to see mac and cheese on the menu, but when we saw it contained miso and truffle, we simply had to try it. The piping hot, bubbly goodness arrived at our table and was devoured within minutes. We kept looking at each other wondering how something like this could be cohabitating with dragon rolls and sashimi. It didn't really matter because it was delicious. Each time thereafter when I visited the office, this was our go-to restaurant and must-have item to order.

After a couple of attempts at home, I finally landed on a version that reminds me of the Heavenly version from Sushi Exchange. I used a combination of Cheddar, Jack, and Gruyere cheeses and some crispy pancetta topped with a crunchy Panko topping. If you are vegetarian, you can leave out the meat and still enjoy the umaminess (I know that is probably not a real word) of this decadent dish. And if you don't feel like making this, just hop on a Southwest flight to San Diego and you can be eating Sushi Exchange's version in a matter of hours! Enjoy!

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Miso Truffle Mac and Cheese

Traditional Mac and Cheese meets miso paste and truffle oil for a truly unctuous dish.

Course dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American, Asian, Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Equipment

• 1 large deep-sided pot
• 1 large pasta pot
• 1 Spoon for stirring
• 1 Whisk
• 1 9 x 13 casserole dish

Ingredients

For the Macaroni:

• 1 lb. of dry Gigli pasta or any shape you desire
• 4 oz. finely diced pancetta
• 4 T. unsalted butter
• 4 T. all-purpose flour
• 3 c. whole milk
• 2 T. white miso paste
• ½ t. ground mustard
• ½ t. garlic powder
• ¼ finely ground black pepper
• ½ salt
• ½ t. basic hot sauce such as Crystal's or Frank's
• 1 ½ c. grated jack cheese
• 1 ½ c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
• ½. c. grated gruyere cheese
• ½ t. white truffle oil

For the Topping:

• ½ c. Panko breadcrumbs
• ½ t. salt
• 2 cloves of finely minced garlic
• 2 T. finely chopped chives
• 3 T. melted butter

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce.
• In the bottom of a deep-sided pot cook the pancetta until crispy. Remove to a plate with a paper towel to drain. Wipe any excess oil from the pot.
• Melt the butter in the pot, until it is bubbly being careful not to brown it. Slowly, sprinkle in the flour whisking constantly to form a roux. Continue whisking the roux for a couple of minutes until it is nice and bubbly.
• Pour in the milk continuing to whisk and stir until well combined. Add the miso paste and stir to incorporate. Add the mustard, garlic powder, pepper, salt and hot sauce. Bring to a low simmer, then add the cheeses and mix until the sauce is thick and gooey. Lastly, stir in the ½ t. of truffle oil and the pancetta. When the pasta is just under aldente, drain it, reserving about a cup of pasta water then add the pasta to the cheese sauce. If the sauce seems too thick, add a little of the pasta water to thin it out.
• NOTE: At this point, because you will have been tasting this and suddenly realize how yummy it is, you will probably want to just go ahead and eat it out of the pot. But you can also add the optional topping and bake it to get some extra texture and crunch. Or you can let it cool in the casserole and refrigerate it. When you are ready to cook it, just remove it about an hour ahead of time and add the topping then before baking.
• If you are going with the topping, spread the cooked pasta and sauce into a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish. Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle them over the top of the casserole. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the dish is nicely browned over the top.