Beecher’s Handmade Cheese recipe is an adult version of a classic dish that pairs surprisingly well with a variety of wines.
Beecher’s was Seattle’s first artisan cheese company, opening their doors in the historic Pike Place Market in the fall of 2003 with a commitment to locally-sourced premium ingredients. Their cheeses are free of any articial flavors and preservatives and made with premium milk from cows that are fed high quality feed and not given recombinant bovine growth hormones (rBST) that are used by many dairy farmers to increase milk production.
Thousands of people every year consume this tantalizing dish served at Beecher’s Handmade Cheese store in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. Beecher’s puts a gourmet twist on the ultimate comfort food, using their Flagship Aged Cheddar as the star ingredient, seasoned with smoky chipotle spice and a touch of garlic.
Enjoy this hearty dish with your favorite wine or one of Tasting Room Magazine’s suggested pairings below.
Beecher’s “World’s Best” Mac & Cheese Recipe
Serves four as a side dish. Recipe courtesy of Beecher’s Cheese.
BEECHER’S FLAGSHIP CHEESE SAUCE
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups whole milk
7 ounces Flagship cheese, grated (about 1 3/4 cups)
1 ounce Just Jack cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ to ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
Dash of teaspoon garlic powder
PASTA
6 ounces penne pasta (about 3 ¼ cups)
TOPPING
1 ounce (1/4 cup) Flagship cheese, grated
1 ounce (1/4 cup) Just Jack cheese, grated
¼ to ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center of oven.
2. Butter an 8-inch baking dish.
3. To prepare the cheese sauce, melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Continue whisking and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Cook until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
4. Add cheeses, salt, chili powder and garlic powder. Stir until cheese is melted and all ingredients are incorporated, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
5. Cook pasta two minutes less than package directions. (It will finish cooking in the oven.) Rinse pasta in cold water and drain well.
6. Add the pasta to the cheese sauce; mix carefully but thoroughly. Scrape the pasta into the prepared baking dish.
7. Sprinkle top with the remaining 1/4 cup of both cheeses and then the chili powder. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
WINE PAIRING SUGGESTIONS
To balance the slight heat of the chipotle pepper and creamy, earthy cheese flavors, try whites that are crisp and dry in style, such as a no-oak (or lightly oaked) Chardonnay, dry Chenin Blanc, Viognier, or Brut sparkling bubbly. This versatile dish pairs equally well with earthy Pinot Noir and robust, dry reds such as Carménère, Syrah, Zinfandel or Malbec.