Mac and Cheese Makes A Pact With Mustard, Truffles, and White Wine

We teamed up with Maille to make a cheesy, creamy, and comforting homemade mac and cheese—and psst: There's a secret key ingredient hiding in there, too.

There are a lot of recipes for homemade macaroni and cheese out there. And they incorporate just about anything imaginable, because mac and cheese is a veritable blank slate—the side dish (or main event, depending on age and responsibility level) takes vegetables, meat, spices, condiments, and more, and gleefully tucks them into nooks and crannies for discovery later.

I had been eyeing Posie Harwood's Miso Mac and Cheese because of its inventive use of the Japanese soybean paste for a flavor change, but didn't have any miso in the fridge. But it got me thinking—and rummaging for dregs that could similarly drop a flavor bomb in an otherwise simple baked pasta. So I settled on tossing in the last few tablespoons of some fancy French mustard instead, and mixed in shallots, garlic, some white Burgundy, and Comté cheese to boot.

Posie makes a roux before adding cheese into the mix—a technique you'll see used in many homemade mac and cheese recipes. It helps create a cohesive sauce that coats the pasta, letting the whole thing slide easily right into a casserole dish to pop into the oven. Like so, below:

This Truffled, Mustardy Macaroni and Cheese comes out crisped on the top, good-gooey in the middle, and the piquant mustard flavor is lively and present, perking the whole thing right up out of its bed of dairy.

High-quality mustard has long been a Food52 pantry staple. We partnered with Maille to show you how to use their lux Black Truffle and Chablis mustard—which is made with real truffle pieces—comfort-food style: In mac and cheese.