Three Cheese Mac and Cheese

This recipe is from Food and Wine magazine. Three types of cheese, sour cream and egg yolks make it ridiculously rich and delicious. The recipe was created by Ben Vaughn of Restaurant Grace in Memphis Tennessee.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds penne

3 cups heavy cream or half and half

1 cup diced onion

2 garilic cloves finely minced

1/4 cup all purpose flour

One 10 ounce log of goat cheese

6 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded (11/2 cups)

1 packed cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

2 teaspoons chopped time

11/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

3 large egg yolks

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and butter a 10-inch cast iron skillet. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta; return it to the pot.

2. Meanwhile in a large saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer with the onion and garlic. Transfer one cup of the cream to a bowl and whisk in the flour; return the mixture to the saucepan.

Whisk over moderate heat until thickened, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the goat cheese, cheddar and half the Parmigiano until melted. Whisk in the sour cream, parsley, thyme and zest and season with salt and white pepper.

In a bowl gradually whisk one cup of the sauce with the egg yolks, then whisk the mixture in to the saucepan.

3. Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir to coat. Spread the pasta in the cast-iron skillet and sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Bake for about 45 minutes, until bubbling and golden. Let the mac and cheese rest for 15 minutes, then serve.

6-8 Servings