My sister was someone who always wanted to be a housewife. When we were very little, we would play house and talk about our futures with our baby dolls. She used to say that she wanted to have at least 10 kids. I thought she was crazy, but it seemed to fit her personality. We grew up and I went off to the city to start my career. She stayed in our hometown and married her high school sweetheart. The instantly started working on that family. They ended up having five kids and she decided that was going to be enough for them, whew. It makes me tired just thinking about it.
Five kids is still a great big job. She was lucky and got to stay home. Her husband took over his father’s business, so they were pretty well set. In her free time, my sister loved to cook and experiment in the kitchen. That was after all of her kids grew out of the stage where they needed constant attention.
The last time I went over there, she had made this macaroni and cheese brie that was like something out of a fancy restaurant. It was so succulent and tasty, I could have eaten the whole thing myself. It was just like this recipe from Just A Pinch. I figured if my sister could make it, I could make it too. I went home and gave it a whirl.
Don’t worry about this being too difficult for you to make. That was the first thing that I thought too when I saw it. I didn’t figure that there was any way a beginner cook like myself would be able to assemble such a fancy dish. I got the confidence to at least try it one day though. Much to my surprise, it went together pretty easily. I just followed the directions and took one step at a time. I mean, that’s all you can really do anyways. If worse comes to worst and you cant’ assemble the brie, you can always just eat the tasty macaroni and cheese, right?
Ingredients
1/2 c olive oil
2/3 c Gold Medal all-purpose flour
2 c Swanson chicken broth, heated
1 c whole milk
2 Tbsp whole milk
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
24 oz Barilla elbow macaroni prepared al dente
16 oz brie, rind removed and cut into pieces
16 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
12 6×9 inch portions ready to bake puff pastry
2 eggs
Instructions
To make the mac & cheese you first start with a roux. In a large non-stick pot heat the olive oil at medium-high heat then add flour and heat until bubbly, continue to cook like this for two minutes.
Add the heated chicken broth all at once and whisk, continue whisking while simmering for 2 or 3 minutes.
Then add 1 cup of milk and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes.
Add the Dijon mustard and cheese.
Stir until cheese is melted, remove from heat.
Add the prepared macaroni and stir to combine.
Spread the mac & cheese into a greased 13×9 inch pan and refrigerate until firm.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a large baking sheet with parchment.
When the mac & cheese is firm divide into 12 portions.
In a small bowl thoroughly combine the eggs and 2 tablespoons of milk, this will be used to seal the puff pastry.
The build: On a lightly floured surface lay down a sheet of puff pastry 6×9 inch. Center a portion of the mac & cheese on the pastry.
Fold the longest part of the pastry to meet at the top of the mac & cheese, wet your fingers with the egg wash and seal the bottom flap, it will overlap by about an inch.
At the unsealed sides of the puff pastry wrap like a gift.
Seal with the egg wash.
Place on a baking sheet seam side down and brush the top with the egg wash. Repeat with the other 11 portions.
Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes and serve.
Source: allrecipes.com
