How to pair mac ‘n’ cheese with wine Leave a comment
Our wine of the week, Fritz, 2019 Dry Creek Valley Sonoma County Estate Reserve Zinfandel ($60), is a zin lovers’ delight. It’s bright and snappy, with high notes of red fruit, especially red raspberry, cranberry and pomegranate, and a foundation of spice, including allspice, cardamom, clove and plenty of black peppercorns.
Pretty acidity lifts the wine and helps mitigate the alcohol, which weighs in at 15.3%. The alcohol is key to successful pairings. Rich foods with robust flavors are the best choices. Baby back ribs, beef ribs and short ribs, all with a classic barbecue sauce, are excellent matches, as are Korean-style ribs.
Shepherd’s pie and cottage pie, in all their delightful versions, encourage this wine to blossom into its full self. The right risotto is a happy partner, too; olive, pancetta, chicken liver and beet risotto all work beautifully.
How about this favorite comfort food? It’s a fabulous match with this sultry wine. Serve it with sauteed greens and a green salad.
Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon
Makes 3 to 6 servings, depending on sides
2 teaspoons Coleman’s dry mustard
2 teaspoons Tabasco
2 cups heavy cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 pound cheddar cheese, grated
6 bacon slices, cooked until crisp, drained and crumbled
12 ounces ditalini, cooked al dente, drained and rinsed
Black pepper in a mill
8 ounces Gruyere, grated
½ cup crème fraîche
Kosher salt
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 ½ cups fresh breadcrumbs
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a large baking dish.
Put the dry mustard in a large bowl, add the Tabasco and whisk until smooth. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Add the cream and eggs and whisk thoroughly. Add the cheddar cheese, bacon and ditalini and use a rubber spatula to fold together gently.
Season very generously with black pepper. Add the Gruyere and the crème fraîche, taste and season to taste with salt. Fold together but do not overmix.
Combine the parsley and breadcrumbs in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Tip the pasta mixture into the buttered baking dish and spread the breadcrumbs over the top.
Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil, set on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Michele Anna Jordan is the author of 24 books to date, including “Pasta Classics” (Cooking Club of America, 2005). Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com.
