This Creamy Meyer Lemon Mac and Cheese is pure comfort food at its best! The delectable taste of Meyer lemon blends seamlessly with the creaminess of the cheese sauce.
Robby and I had our friends Erika and Gary over for dinner the other night. Erika brought me a big basket of Meyer lemons from her tree. I contemplated what I should make with them and came up with this glorious dish.
During the dinner with our friends, I told them that my favorite musician Sierra Ferrel was going to be playing in Felton, a close-by small town in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I played them a few of her songs and they said that they would like to go see her with us. We ended up meeting them at the Felton Music Hall and had a great time. Sierra was pronominal along with the amazing fiddler Nate Leath that is playing with her on her current tour! She is still in the early stages of her career so she wasn’t headlining which made it even cooler that we were able to see her before she gets too big. She will become well known, of this, I am sure! If you haven’t heard of her, go check her out on YouTube.
This dish pairs best with a crisp white wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño or sparkling wine.
Creamy Meyer Lemon Mac and Cheese - CaliZona
Ingredients
- About 2 Meyer Lemons or 1/4 Cup - juiced - room temperature
- 2 Teaspoons - Meyer Lemon Zest
- 6 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Cloves Garlic - minced
- 6 Tablespoons White Rice Flour
- 2 1/2 Cups Milk
- 2 1/2 Cups Half and Half
- 2 Cups Pecorino - finely grated
- 2 Cups Parmesan - grated
- 8 oz. Container Mascarpone
- 1 Tablespoon Himalayan salt or Sea Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 Pound Brown Rice Elbow Macaroni I use the brand Tinkyada.
Instructions
Cheese Sauce
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Add the butter and garlic to a large straight-sided pan when melted and the garlic just starts to become golden, stir in the flour, and cook the mixture, until well incorporated.
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Add the milk/half and half a little at a time while whisking constantly. It will clump up a bit at first, this is ok! The more milk you add, the clumps will loosen up and dissolve. Let the milk get hot.
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Add the pecorino and parmesan a little at a time and whisking until completely melted.
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Whisk in the mascarpone and add the salt and pepper.
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Add some of the (heated) cheese sauce into a small bowl.
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Whisk a little of the room temperature lemon juice a little at a time into the bowl of sauce and then whisk in the zest.
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Gradually whisk in the lemon cheese sauce into the whole batch of sauce.
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Cover, remove from heat and set aside until the pasta is done cooking.
Pasta
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In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni for 4 minutes.
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You want it less than al dente because the pasta will continue to cook in the oven.
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Strain the water and add it into a 3-quart gratin dish.
Assemble
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees
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Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and mix well.
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Place on the middle shelf for 35 - 40 minutes or until it is golden and bubbly.
Recipe Notes
Make sure to add the lemon juice at the end.
