From Daryl aka Avery:
Got my new cover for the next Cookbook Nook Mystery coming out in August: FUDGING THE BOOKS. Do you see Tigger in the hammock? Look closely!
Can you believe I'm already starting on the next book in the series (title is Cookbook Nook #5 so far - very inventive - LOL). Whenever I start a book, I can't seem to think of anything else, so I need easy food. Little snacks. Lots of them. Mid-morning. Midday. Midnight, if necessary. You probably don’t realize how much
energy it takes to write a book. Thinking is hard work!
Sometimes it’s enough to make me want to give
up writing… NOT. I couldn’t. I can’t. I have to write. There are too many
characters in my head. They keep popping up. And stories. So many stories. So
to write, I must eat!! Sigh. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. I
sacrifice. :)
Today I'm sharing perhaps my all-time favorite comfort-food appetizer. It simply
melts in your mouth. The wine adds just a hint of a kick!
For a gluten-free option, which I make for
myself, I use gluten-free pasta and gluten-free bread crumbs. Everything else
is good to go! Say cheese!
P.S. Timothy O’Shea’s Irish Pub,
which is the fictional “origin” for this recipe, is featured in my latest Cheese Shop Mystery: As Gouda As Dead.
MACARONI
AND CHEESE APPETIZER
À la Timothy O’Shea’s Irish Pub
(Serves 4)
2 cup dried
macaroni, cooked to tender (about 4-5 cups cooked)
1 clove
garlic chopped
4 tablespoons
butter
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup white
wine
1/2 teaspoon
salt
1/2 teaspoon
white pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2
tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup
mascarpone cheese
1 cup grated
cheese (equal parts Cheddars, Gouda, Monterey Jack)
1/4 cup bread
crumbs
1/4 cup
Parmesan cheese
Cook macaroni
according to package directions. Drain
and set aside. Pasta may be made a day
ahead. Note: Do not forget to drain and
set aside. You do not want the pasta to
be “wet.”
In a large
saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, and cornstarch. Cook about 1-2 minutes.
It will boil and thicken. Stir constantly.
Add milk and
wine, stir, and let boil to thicken.
Remove from
heat and add mascarpone cheeese and grated cheeses.
Pour sauce
over drained macaroni. Stir well. Fill 4 appetizer-sized ramekins with the
mixture. Top with bread crumbs mixed with the Parmesan cheese.
Turn oven on
to broil. Set the ramekins about 4 inches under broiler. Broil for 5-6 minutes
until crisp.
Serve hot.
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