Mac Attack with a dose of Tarragon and a sip of Chablis!

Sometimes I just don't want to go to the market. Sometimes I just take a trip to the Loft fridge and pantry and see what I can do with what I have. On this trip I discovered I had fresh tarragon. I love working with tarragon, it's such a stand-alone herb.... so I made Mac and Cheese with Tarragon...

Tarragon Scented Mac and Cheese

To see the step-by-step method I used... JUMP

 First I minced my fresh tarragon and set it aside

Mincing Tarragon

In true mis en place fashion, I stirred some Panko Crumbs into melted butter (about 2 tablespoons) and set aside. Oh and I also had my pasta pot boiling (you can see it in the picture). Make sure and have your pasta cooked (AL DENTE) in advance and reserved for mixing with the sauce.

Stirring Panko into melted butter

Next I minced 1 small yellow onion and three garlic cloves and sauteed in butter until they started to sweat and soften. Once they were soft, I added three tablespoons of flour and mixed together forming a roux for my sauce...

Mixing sauteed onion and garlic with flour

With the roux mixed, I added three cups of milk and began stirring...

Adding milk to roux

If you do a roux first, you don't have to worry about lumps forming. This is because the fat from the butter coats the flour causing it to stay separated; then, when the milk is added, it dissolves quickly into the liquid.

Once the roux was dissolved into the milk I added about 2 tablespoons minced tarragon and continued stirring for about 5 minutes or just until the sauce was starting to thicken...

Tarragon stirred into sauce

Once the sauce started to thicken I adjusted with a touch of salt and pepper and added the grated cheese. Oh, that's right, I forgot to mention... HAVE YOUR CHEESE GRATED AND READY TO GO!

I used about three cups of cheese. I had two different kinds, a cheddar and Flagship from Beecher's in Pike Place Market, Seattle. Add what you like, just make sure you like the flavors of the melted cheeses, many Mac and Cheese recipes call for three or four different cheeses (maybe Cheddar, Manchego, Asiago, and Gouda)...  OH, and reserve a small handful for the final baking...

Adding the grated cheese - Cheddar and Flagship

Once the cheese was melted and the sauce all bubbly, I added the already cooked penne pasta...

Adding cooked pasta to cheese sauce

Stir it all together...

Time to finish this off!

With the pasta and sauce all nice and mixed, it was poured it into a baking dish. My final step was to sprinkle the panko and a handful of the grated cheese on top...

And I did a final little spattering of minced tarragon... 

Tarragon, the final embellishment

I popped it in an oven preheated to 350f, and baked it for about 30 minutes.... pulled it from the oven, allowed it to rest for about ten minutes, and plated it up with a nice glass of Chablis.

This is how I roll when I don't want to make a trip to the market... 

Wednesday Night Dinner

Mac and Cheese is an easy, comforting, and very versatile dish to make. Get creative, change up your herbs, add bacon, or pancetta, or diced ham, or chicken... make it yours!