Tru ed mac ‘n’ cheese

If there’s one dish that’s served just about everywhere in America, it’s mac ‘n’ cheese. This recipe is an amalgamation of all the best ones I’ve tried, from the extra-cheesy street-food versions to the trufflelaced ones served in restaurants.

SERVES 8 as a side or 6 as a main PREP 30 mins COOK 40 mins MORE EFFORT

500g macaroni

1 litre whole milk

2 bay leaves

60g butter

60g plain lour

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp roughly chopped thyme leaves

80g porcini white tru le paste or 2 tbsp tru le oil

1 tbsp porcini powder (or dried porcini mushrooms blitzed to a powder in a food processor) 80g taleggio cheese, chopped 125g ball of mozzarella, chopped 100g mature cheddar, grated 30g fresh breadcrumbs

30g parmesan, inely grated 1 Cook the macaroni following pack instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside to cool.

2 Tip the milk and bay leaves into a pan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat. Melt the butter in a large non-stick saucepan, then stir in the flour to make a thick paste, continuing to stir for 3-4 mins. Remove and discard the bay leaves from the milk, then gradually pour it into the flour and butter mix, continuously stirring to keep the sauce smooth. Add the mustard, thyme, tru e paste and porcini powder, then stir in the taleggio cheese and mozzarella until melted slightly. Remove from the heat, tip in the macaroni and stir to coat. Scrape into an ovenproof dish. Will keep chilled for up to 24 hrs.

3 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Sprinkle over the cheddar, breadcrumbs and parmesan, and bake for 20 mins until golden. For a crispy top, grill for 5 mins or until just golden. Serve straightaway.

GOOD TO KNOW calcium

PER SERVING (8) 559 kcals • fat 24g • saturates 14g • carbs 60g • sugars 8g • ibre 5g • protein 24g • salt 1.6g