Cheese please!

The Woman’s Day team share their cheesy faves

MACARONI CHEESE SERVES 4 PREP 10 MINS COOK 30 MINS

2 cups macaroni 2 bacon rashers, finely chopped 1 ½ cups grated mozzarella 1 cup grated gruyere cheese 300ml tub thickened cream 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 bunch chives, finely chopped 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs mixed salad, to serve

1 Preheat oven to moderate, 180ºc. Lightly grease a 6-cup casserole dish.

2 In a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, cook pasta 10-12 mins until tender. Drain well.

3 Meanwhile, in a frying pan, cook bacon on high 4-5 mins until crispy. Set aside.

4 In large bowl, combine 1 cup mozzarella, gruyere cheese, cream, and eggs. Toss through macaroni with chives. Season. Pour into dish.

5 Scatter with combined breadcrumbs, bacon and remaining mozzarella.

6 Bake 15-20 mins until golden and bubbling. Serve with salad.

CREAM CHEESE, BLUEBERRY & VANILLA PANCAKES

SERVES 4 PREP 10 MINS COOK 10 MINS

250g block cream cheese, softened 1 egg ¼ cup caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp extra 30g butter, softened, plus 30g extra melted 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, plus 1 tsp extra

2/ cup milk, plus 2 tsp extra 3 1 cup self-raising flour, sifted 125g punnet blueberries, plus extra to serve

1 In a bowl, use an electric mixer to beat half cream cheese, egg, sugar, butter and vanilla together 2-3 mins until light and creamy.

2 Add milk and beat on low speed to combine. Stir in flour, then fold blueberries through (don’t over-mix).

3 Heat a large frying pan on low. Brush with a little melted butter. In batches, drop 1/ cup measurements of batter 3 into the pan. Cook 2-3 mins until bubbles appear on the surface. Turn over and cook for a further 1-2 mins until cooked through. Transfer pancakes to a tray. Keep warm.

4 Meanwhile, using an electric mixer combine remaining cream cheese, extra sugar, extra milk and vanilla in a bowl. Beat 1-2 mins until fluffy. Add a little extra milk if you prefer the mixture to be a bit more spreadable.

5 Serve pancakes in stacks topped with whipped cream cheese and extra blueberries.

“Stay in for brunch with these cafeworthy pancakes!” Chanel Gellin, Group Editorial Assistant