Best Beechers Flagship Cheese Sauce Recipes

BEECHER'S FLAGSHIP CHEESE SAUCE

Beecher's Flagship Cheese Sauce image

Starring two types of cheese-cheddar and Jack-this rich sauce from Kurt Beecher Dammeier's "Pure Flavor" cookbook is the secret-weapon ingredient in his World's Best Mac and Cheese.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories Food & Cooking Main Dish Recipes

Yield Makes about 4 cups

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
14 ounces cheddar cheese, preferably Flagship, grated (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 ounces Jack cheese, preferably Just Jack, grated (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle-chile powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Steps:

Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat; whisk in flour. Continue whisking and cooking for 2 minutes.
Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cheeses, salt, chile powder, and garlic powder. Stir until cheese has melted and all ingredients are well incorporated, about 3 minutes. Use immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days.
To reheat sauce, place in a saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently, until heated through.

"WORLD'S BEST" MAC AND CHEESE

Categories Sauce Cheese Side Bake Kosher

Yield serves 4 as a side dish

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

6 ounces penne
2 cups Beecher's Flagship Cheese Sauce (recipe follows)
1 ounce Cheddar, grated (1/4 cup)
1 ounce Gruyère cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (see Note)
Beecher's Flagship Cheese Sauce
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
14 ounces semihard cheese (page 23), grated (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 ounces semisoft cheese (page 23), grated (1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
(makes about 4 cups)

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter or oil an 8-inch baking dish.
Cook the penne 2 minutes less than package directions. (It will finish cooking in the oven.) Rinse the pasta in cold water and set aside.
Combine the cooked pasta and the sauce in a medium bowl and mix carefully but thoroughly. Scrape the pasta into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the cheeses and then the chili powder.
Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Let the mac and cheese sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Beecher's Flagship Cheese Sauce
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Continue whisking and cooking for 2 minutes.
Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat.
Add the cheeses, salt, chili powder, and garlic powder. Stir until the cheese is melted and all ingredients are incorporated, about 3 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 3 days.
This sauce reheats nicely on the stove in a saucepan over low heat. Stir frequently so the sauce doesn't scorch.
Make Ahead
This recipe can be assembled before baking and frozen for up to 3 months-just be sure to use a freezer-to-oven pan and increase the baking time to 50 minutes.
notes
One-half teaspoon of chipotle chili powder makes a spicy mac, so make sure your family and friends can handle it!
The proportion of pasta to cheese sauce is crucial to the success of the dish. It will look like a lot of sauce for the pasta, but some of the liquid will be absorbed.