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Adult Macaroni and Cheese

A creamy macaroni dish with multiple cheeses and butter, served warm.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Cream cheese and swiss cheese share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 54 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

Adult Macaroni and Cheese

Serves 4

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the macaroni

  1. Cook macaroni in a gallon of salted boiling water until al dente.

  2. Strain the cooked macaroni into a colander and rinse with cold water.

Make the sauce

  1. In a heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.

  2. Once the butter stops bubbling, whisk in the flour and cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture turns blonde.

  3. Add the remaining ingredients except the butter.

  4. Once the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth, add 1 tablespoon of butter, whisking continuously until melted.

  5. Repeat adding butter until all butter has been used.

  6. Gently fold the macaroni into the sauce and serve warm.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1161Calories
38 gProtein
68 gFat
100 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 12 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Mascarpone2 tbsp (28g)120
Gruyere Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Swiss Cheese1 oz (28g)108
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Cream Cheese1 oz (28g)99
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Macaroninot in our table0
Waternot in our table0
Saucenot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cream cheese + swiss cheesetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together54 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  2. Cheese + cream cheesetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together473 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  3. Cheese + swiss cheesetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together65 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  4. Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together41,516 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  5. Swiss cheese + buttertop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together413 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Elbow macaroni
Forms the body of the dish, giving the bite and structure the sauce clings to.
All-purpose flour
Cooked with butter into a roux, it thickens the cream and cheese sauce.
Heavy cream
Adds moisture and richness, keeping the sauce smooth and pourable.
Fontina
Melts smoothly and adds creamy, nutty flavor to the sauce.
Gruyere
Adds deep, nutty flavor and helps the sauce stay cohesive as it melts.
Mascarpone cheese
Adds richness and a silky texture that makes the sauce creamier.

The step that matters

Melting the cheese into the sauce. Adding cheese over too high heat can make it turn grainy or oily as the proteins tighten and fat separates. Keeping the heat moderate and stirring continuously helps the sauce stay smooth.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

More macaroni and cheese recipes

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