Parmesan-Why so gritty?

I just made a Lobster/Shrimp Mac and Cheese. Though I was apprehensive I used the Parmesan the recipe asked for. I grated the Parmesan fresh and used a double boiler. The cheese was accompanied by gruyere, and sharp cheddar. I mixed all of the cheeses per the recipe and slowly added heavy cream as requested. Why is my Parmesan always gritty? This is awful and a waste of money. Thoughts?

epicoryian
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6 Comments

Tyler W.
Tyler W. March 19, 2017
http://www.thekitchn.com/the-cheesemonger-a-bit-of-crun-47988 If it's just the Parmesan you're worried about that contains the grit here's the answer
 
sexyLAMBCHOPx
sexyLAMBCHOPx February 3, 2014
Hi E- I looked at the recipe and cant put my arms around it. lobster is expensive and wouldn't even attempt to make a macaroni & cheese with lobster without a proper roux or béchamel. I also wouldn't add a half of cup of parmesan because it really doesn't melt, its ret for texture and saltiness but another cheese would of been better. Here's Ina's recipe (she has yet to fail me) for her version. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lobster-mac-and-cheese-recipe.html
 
sexyLAMBCHOPx
sexyLAMBCHOPx February 2, 2014
Can you share the recipe? The roux or béchamel shouldn't be liquid-ity, that probably was the culprit. Did you add flour? Nothing worse than expensive fail, but was it okay to eat?
 
epicoryian
epicoryian February 2, 2014
It wasn't horrible. I never like anything I cook so there's that. Here is the link.

http://www.food.com/recipe/lobster-mac-cheese-332923
 
sexyLAMBCHOPx
sexyLAMBCHOPx February 2, 2014
Typical dairy based macaroni and cheese use a roux or béchamel. Did you add flour or butter before adding your cheeses? Parmesan is usually "gritty" when grated into dishes. I usually leave the parmesan or parmesan Reggainno for a light topping at the end of bake time.
 
epicoryian
epicoryian February 2, 2014
Well since I had to make a heavy cream with milk and butter because the store was out of heavy cream. It was stirred in in the beginning to keep the cheese from burning. Then gradually adding more until it was a fine liquid consistency. The first serving was gritty the second wasn't so bad. Maybe it wasp promising
 
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