I went to Baltimore for New Years and on New Years Eve enjoyed Gruyere mac and cheese with Blue Crab at the Pratt Street Ale House. It was a wonderfully sinful bit of deliciousness to ring out 2012. I didn’t think much about it after that, but then I got some cheeses for Christmas and among the cheeses was a gruyere. I thought about the mac and cheese from New Years Eve and set about to recreate it.
8 oz of pasta (I used a garden penne)
2 cups of milk (or cream)
2 cups of shredded cheese (I used a combination of gruyere, creamy gouda, blue cheese, and parmesean)
3 tbls of butter
1 medium sweet onion
3 tbls of flour
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1/2 tsp of shaved nutmeg
1 pound of lump crab meat
Cook pasta as per box instructions. Preheat oven to 325. In a saucepan melt butter add salt, pepper and diced onion – simmer until onion is translucent, add flour and whisk until smooth. Slowly add in milk and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and gradually add in the gruyere, gouda and blue cheese. In a greased casserole dish, add pasta, stir in cheese mixture and blue crab – sprinkle the top with parmesean cheese. Bake for about 25 minutes – until bubbling. Serve immediately.
1700 Miles of Cooking 