Tweaked.

Hola.

Yes, I'm still alive.

It's just that Winter Mia is boring and mainly reliant on pre-packaged foods, much to her chagrin.

BUT: This weekend I decided to tackle a recipe for Asiago & Crab Mac 'n' Cheese, recently presented by my friend the former B.J. Sexton, who has also graciously granted me permission to use her maiden name when I embark on my much-anticipated porn career.

This is the first ever recipe that I've made adjustments to prior to trying it out as written. B.J. made it and remarked that it needed more flavor, so I felt safe in playing around with it. Following is the original recipe with my adjustments in brackets:

1 pound small or medium sized pasta
3 TBS butter
3 TBS flour
1 tsp smoked paprika [2 tsp Ras el Hanout, a Moroccan spice blend available through Williams-Sonoma]
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup milk
2 TBS Dijon Mustard [Grey Poupon's Country Dijon, made with coarsely ground mustard]
1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) evaporated milk
2 cups Asiago cheese, shredded [1 1/2 cups Asiago + 1/2 cup sharp white cheddar, shredded]
16 oz lump crab meat [crab claw meat, as that's what they had...]
[approx. 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg]
Panko bread crumbs, for garnish [Panko + approx. 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese]
Fresh Italian parsley, minced, for garnish [left out]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Bring large pot of water to a boil, add [salt and] pasta and cook according to the directions on the package. Drain and set aside.

In a medium pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, smoked paprika, salt and pepper; stir until smooth. Add the milk, mustard, and evaporated milk; whisk together until slightly thickened.

Whisk in the Asiago cheese, stirring until smooth. Stir in crab meat. Pour the cheese and crab sauce over the drained pasta, stir gently to combine. Pour into a lightly oiled or buttered [...I think I forgot to do this step] baking dish with a lid [or, you know - a supply of aluminum foil]. Top with a [generous] sprinkle of bread crumbs and parsley.

Cover and bake about 15 minutes, then uncover and cook until hot and bubbly, about 10 to 15 additional minutes. [Then realize that the breadcrumbs have gained no color what so ever, dot with approx. 2 TBS of butter, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.]

RESULT:

(Here paired with roasted asparagus.)

This stuff is PHENOMENAL. Just the right blend of savory-sweet and spicy. AND it's the only mac 'n' cheese I've ever had that heats up well, even in the flippin' microwave. Serious.

TRY IT.

Although next time, I might pan fry the bread crumbs before I put them on top, because even though it tastes fantastic, it's just way too... white.