Recipe Background
The-8th-Hole Mac is a grilled mac and cheese blend with seven cheeses, topped with savory crunch.
It was the day of the annual golf tournament, an event I had organized with a whim and a dream. I wasn’t much of a golfer, but my culinary skills had been honed to a tee, pun intended. As each team finished the course, they headed to the 8th hole gazebo where a feast awaited them—and at the heart of it, this mac and cheese. Armed with more varieties of cheese than an artisan’s shop, I wanted the dish to shine like a hole-in-one. From sharp cheddar to creamy Havarti, each cheese played its part in creating a velvety sauce that would stop golfers in their tracks.
Assembling it outdoors was a bit of a risk, but the grill added a daring twist and a smoky essence that hinted at backyard barbecues. While whisking together cream, milk, and a touch of Dijon, I made sure to caramelize the flour mixture just right for that rich undertone. Stirring in shredded Gruyère and fontina, I watched patiently as it melded into liquid gold. A chef’s secret: grating the cheeses myself instead of using pre-shredded to ensure a smoother melt. Once the crispy bacon and fried onions were scattered atop, it was game-time magic.
Guests swooned as they tucked in, and soon the gazebo buzzed more with chatter about the dish than the day's scores. I learned that letting the mac sit for a mere five minutes allowed the sauce to settle perfectly on the noodles. Laughter mingled with the aroma, and as winners of the tournament were crowned, I was secretly celebrating the true victor of the day—this mac and cheese.
Ingredients
For the macaroni:
- 3 cups macaroni
- 1 cup whipping cream or heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup fontina shredded
- 1/2 cup Gruyère shredded
- 1/2 cup Monterey Jack shredded
- 1/2 cup manchego shredded
- 1/2 cup havarti shredded
- 1/2 cup mozzarella shredded
For the panko topping:
- 4 slices bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
- 1/2 cup fried onions
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup parmesan shredded
- 2 tablespoons salted butter melted
Directions
- In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook the macaroni just shy of al dente, sccording to the package instructions. Drain the water.
- Preheat the grill to 350 degrees F.
- Place a large, grill-safe saucepan over indirect heat on the preheating grill.
- Combine the whipping cream and the milk in the saucepan and let it warm.
- In a Dutch oven over low heat, add 1/4 cup of the butter, the flour, and the Dijon mustard and cook, while whisking, until the flour has cooked down and has begun to caramelize, about 2 minutes.
- Slowly add the warm cream mixture to the flour mixture while whisking.
- Add the cheddar, the fontina, the Gruyère, the Monterey Jack, the manchego, the havarti, and the mozzarella to the hot cream mixture and stir well to combine.
- Place the Dutch oven on the grill and stir the parcooked macaroni into the cheese sauce.
- In a bowl, add the bacon, the fried onions, the panko, the parmesan, and the remaining melted butter and stir to combine.
- Evenly sprinkle the panko topping over the macaroni mixture.
- Close the lid of the grill and cook the macaroni until the pasta is al dente, the panko topping is golden, and the cheese sauce is bubbly, about 25 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
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