I went Apple Picking the other day and now have a couple dozen apples to figure out what to cook with! And I don't want to do desert. I'm just more of a cheese person than a sweets person. I've been making Salmon, Leeks, & SnapDragon Apple Quiche, Roasted Autumn Crisp Apples & Kuri Squash Pizza and a Salad w/ Salmon, Black Rice, & Roasted SnapDragon Apples. Although, it was probably inevitable that I was going to make macaroni and cheese with apples in it. Luckily, apples go incredibly well with cheese. Think apple pie with cheddar cheese. I also added in walnuts and gruyère to play up the nutty undertones and festive fall spirit.
Sweet Maia Apples
Sweet Maia apples are a cross between Winecrisp and Honeycrisp apples. They're an early fall apple and the first ones that we picked today. Honeycrisps were also available to pick today, but I opted for the Sweet Maia because they aren't something that I can ordinarily find at my local grocery store. They're a yellow skinned apple with a deeper red hue overtop. And they're best known for being a mildly sweet apple that's good for baking or snacking.
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Variations of Apples Macaroni & Cheese
Ordinarily, I'm more of a squash person than an apple person in the fall (although, there's no reason that you can't be both!). Regardless, I'm not stranger to putting all sorts of things into macaroni and cheese. It's one of those dishes where I raid my pantry and refrigerator at the end of the week when I'm determined to hobble together all of the unused produce that I have left. This usually turns out pretty good, though. There aren't many things that don't go well with noodles and copious amounts of cheese.
1/2c.white wine(or reserve pasta water, I used sauvignon blanc)
2c.gruyère grated
1c.walnutscrushed
Instructions
Cook Pasta
Add about 4 inches of water to a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
Cook pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions. This typically entails boiling for about 8-12 minutes, or until barely al dente.
The pasta will cook another half hour in the oven, so make sure not to overcook them during this stage!
Remove the pasta from the water and set aside.
You may want to stir it occasionally to keep the noodles from sticking together.
Prepare Roux
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lightly coat the bottom and sides of a large baking dish with olive oil and set aside.
Preheat saucepan on medium-heat. Add 1/4 cup butter and melt.
Immediately when the butter melts, add flour and stir constantly until incorporated. This should take about 3 minutes.Do NOT brown or overcook, though. You just want the butter and flour to incorporate until you add the spices.
Add spices and Worcestershire sauce. Stir constantly for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Add Greek yogurt, a little at a time, and stir constantly until incorporated after each addition. Adding too much at once can cause the roux to separate. Although this is less of an issue with yogurt as it is milk or cream, it is still something to watch out for!
Meanwhile, grate the cheese and add to roux 1/2 cup at a time. Mix constantly until fully incorporated.
Thin the sauce with 1/2 cup dry white wine (or pasta water).
Add noodles and stir until fully coated in the cheese sauce.
Bake Macaroni and Cheese
Pour macaroni and cheese into greased baking dish.
Add crushed nuts.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the top begins to brown.
Let cool slightly and cut into 2-inch squares. Serve immediately.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
I used sauvignon blanc for the wine. It's my favorite white cooking wine because it's one of the dryer whites. Wine releases sugar while it cooks, so an already sweet wine will become sweeter during the cooking process. Although, you still can use a sweeter wine if you prefer! It doesn't have to be good wine, but it does have to be drinkable (that will vary depending on your taste in wine).
You can add a dusting of brown sugar or bread crumbs on top of the nuts, for a crunch on top.
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