Mac and Cheese with a Jalapeño Chipotle Cream Sauce 4.03 The Hobbit, The Sofa, and Digger Stiles

“What is that?” “It's macaroni and cheese.” “ It's green. Why is it green?” “Because I made it with a jalapeno-chipotle cream sauce.”

Ingredients:

• 3 jalapeños

• 2 poblano peppers

• 1 tbsp butter

• ½ cup onion, diced

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 1 lb of orecchiette pasta cooked per package instructions (you can also use shell or elbow pasta)

• ¼ cup of butter

• ¼ cup of all-purpose flour

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1 cup whole milk

• 1 cup pepper jack, grated

• ½ cup mozzarella cheese, grated

• ½ cup white cheddar cheese, grated

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp paprika

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ tsp pepper

• 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, finely diced

• 3 tbsp bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

2. Wash the peppers and place on a baking sheet.

3. Roast peppers in the oven at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. Flip the peppers over and roast for an additional 15 minutes.

4. Once the peppers have roasted, allow to cool. Once cool enough to tough, carefully remove the skin. You might not be able to remove all the skin, but that’s okay.

5. While the peppers roast, add the tablespoon of butter to a medium skillet. Once the butter has melted, add the onion and garlic cloves, and saute for about 7 minutes or until translucent. Set aside.

6. In a large pot, melt the 1/4 cup of butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir to form a roux (a mixture of fat and flour to thicken sauces).

7. Carefully pour in the cream and milk. Whisk to combine with the roux.

8. Add in the cheeses and stir until a thick sauce forms.

9. Stir in the spices and the chipotle until fully combined.

10. Add the peeled peppers, sauteed onions, and garlic to a food processor. Blend until smooth. If you don’t want as spicy of a dish, remove the seeds and white pith of the peppers before adding to the processor.

11. Stir the pepper mixture and chopped adobo into the cheese sauce. Mix until fully combined.

12. Then fold in the cooked pasta and make sure the noodles are completely covered in the sauce.

13. Transfer the macaroni to a 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the macaroni.

14. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake at 400F for 25-30 minutes or until the top forms a golden-brown crust.

Okay, so this mac and cheese isn’t exactly green, but it has a green tint. You would have to use a TON of jalapeños or green food coloring to get your mac and cheese to be the same color as Sookie’s on the show. I added some poblano peppers in an attempt to add some green color with not as much spice, but it still didn’t turn bright green. However, the mac and cheese still slaps, even if it’s not exactly green. I’d really like to know what Sookie did to achieve such a vibrant green color.

I also have another recipe for this episode courtesy of Laura from Star Spangled Baker. She makes fabulous cupcakes and she made a cupcake version of Sookie’s chocolate cake with a rum raisin, tropical fruit ganache! I will be sharing her recipe in my next post!

Happy Cooking from the Hollow!

If you missed what I made last episode, you can catch up here!