Recipe Alert! : White Truffled Mac & Cheese Cupcakes

Extreme Decadence in a small package!

This Mac & Cheese makes me quiver! It is an extremely decadent and costly dish to make, but it will impress your guests.
The cheese alone is an investment you must be willing to splurge on because you need the best cheeses you can find in order to keep the caliber of this recipe at it's highest level. I'm not going to lie to you, it costs roughly $300 to make this Mac & Cheese, however it does make 60 cupcakes so you're talking about $5 per cupcake. I know that sounds INSANE!!!!, but, it will be one of the best things you've ever tasted, EVER! The best way to purchase these cheeses are in blocks, so you should have a lot of cheese left after this recipe is complete, just wrap it tight in plastic and store in the refrigerator or freezer. Let's not forget the White Truffle Oil and White Truffles. If you've never had this, please at the very least, purchase the white truffle oil. Whole white truffles are extremely rare and hard to find and if you do add these to the recipe you're talking about doubling the cost of this dish, but wow do they taste amazing.

I made these for the 4th Annue Holiday Dinner Party hosted by my buddy James in New York City. He and I have made these before, but this time we elevated it to a new degree of tastiness. If you're like me, you love love love love cheese!
There are 4 cheeses in this recipe: Cave Aged Gruyere, Fotina, White Cheddar and of course Parmigiano Reggiano. Some may be hard to find so feel free to substitute. My favorite cheese by far is Cave Aged Gruyere from Switzerland. It is often used as the staple cheese in Fondue, but it works amazingly well in this dish. It is nutty, salty and has this quality of flavor that sets your tastebuds on a roller coaster ride, it is absolutely incredible. Several people ate more than 1, 2 or even 3! This is a great way to show people how special they are to you and you may be introducing them to something new.

White Truffle Mac & Cheese Cupcakes

Ingredients
2lb. of shell pasta
8 tbsp unsalted better
8 tbsp all purpose flour
6 c whole milk
2 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1.5 c. + 2 tbsp grated Gruyere cheese
1.5 c. + 2 tbsp grated fontina cheese
1.5 c. + 2 tbsp grated White cheddar cheese
1 c. + 2 tbsp grated parm cheese
1/2 c. panko bread crumbs
1 tbsp garlic
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1/4 c. white truffle oil & 2 tbsp for drizzling
salt
1 tbsp Fleur de Sel (French Sea Salt)

Pasta
Boil the pasta in very salty water, the water should taste like the ocean. Cook 2 minutes shy of the package directions to keep them shy of al dente because they will cook more in the oven. Drain when done and drizzle with white truffle oil to keep from sticking.

Cheese Sauce
1. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large pot.
2. Add flour and cook until you get rid of that raw flour taste.
3. Season with salt & pepper.
4. Slowly pour the whole milk in, whisking the entire time you are pouring to avoid lumps. The milk should be sitting by warming on the stove top as well to ensure the best incorporation of all of the ingredients.
5. When the bechamel sauce sticks to a wooden spoon it's time to add the cheese!
6. Add all the cheese to the sauce, minus the tablespoons of each that are set aside for the topping.
7. Once these have melted completely add the 1/4 cup of white truffle oil.
8. Salt and pepper to taste.

Topping
1. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a skillet.
2. Once melted, add panko break crumbs.
3. Once toasted, add garlic, cheese and season with salt & pepper, 1 tablespoon of white truffle oil and 1 tablespoon of parsley.
4. Set aside!

Assemble the Cupcakes
1. Add the cheese sauce to the pasta and mix well.
2. Get some nifty cup cake tins, if you can, and portion out enough for you and your guests. You can put the rest in a baking dish for later or use it all and make a ton of cupcakes!
3. Add equal amount of the topping to each cupcake and place in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes until the already toasted mixture becomes darker, without burning please!

Serving
It's easy to serve these. Just on a small plate will do, put some extra parsley on top and drizzle a small amount of white truffle oil. Serve hot and watch peoples eyes light up!

Optional
WHOLE WHITE TRUFFLES. If you can get your hands on these bad boys, shave one or two slivers on top of the completed dish with a mandolin.

Again, I know this sounds a little insane and it is, but it is well worth it and it's easy to do!
Cheers!