Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth mac and cheese

Australians are turning to cooking and baking in large numbers since the onset of COVID-19 and a series of lockdowns and restrictions. So much so, butter sales have increased dramatically according to new data from Dairy Australia, which reveals sales of generic-branded butter rose 8.7 per cent between April 2020-21.

Here at Australian Farmers, the team are all for some uplifting comfort food during this period of restrictions and lockdowns. Hopefully this mouth-watering mac and cheese recipe, made with Dairy Australia milk and butter, is the perfect lockdown dinner indulgence.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups macaroni
30g butter
30g plain flour
500ml milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
150-200g grated or crumbled cheese (can be a mix of leftover pieces of gruyere, parmesan, a little cheddar and a crumbling of blue)
2 tablespoons white wine
2 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
2 slices white bread, crusts removed
1 sprig thyme, leaves picked, extra
1 tablespoons finely grated parmesan
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method

1. Cook macaroni in boiling salted water for 4 minutes, until just beginning to soften. Drain.
2. Place butter, flour and milk in a saucepan all at once and whisk over medium heat until thickened. Stir in cheeses, white wine, thyme and season with salt and pepper. Stir in macaroni.
3. Cut the garlic clove in half and rub all over the base and sides of a suitable baking dish, then discard. Pour in the macaroni mixture.
4. Chop the bread into small cubes and combine with extra thyme, grated parmesan, olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Scatter the bread over the macaroni mixture and bake at 200°C for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly, golden and delicious looking!

For more recipes, cooking tips and information head to Dairy Australia.