Fancy Mac 'n' Cheese

I got the recipe from this site. It's a good recipe. It takes a bit of time, and I tend to make 1.5 times the requirements on this to feed four to five people, without sides. A normal recipe would probably be around two to four without sides. With sides, it would probably go much, much farther.

Keep in mind, this is rich and full of calories - lots and lots of cream. Also, use the salt - it makes all the difference. Because of the time to make it, I plan it for less busy days. I have adjusted the steps for this recipe. It assumes that you note the pasta should be cooked and the bacon also. Given that when I go in I just start looking at directions and somewhere at the last minute realize, "Oh right! The noodles!" I decided to add those steps into the directions.

According to the site:
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 45 - 50 minutes

Mac Daddy Mac 'n Cheese, Guy Fieri's

2 whole shallots, peeled*
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 pieces bacon, diced, cooked, reserving 1 tablespoon bacon fat
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound penne pasta, cooked
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Boil water for pasta (if you've not cooked it yet). Cook the bacon and reserve a tablespoon of fat. About the time the bacon finishes, be sure to drop your pasta into the hopefully boiling water.

2. Place shallots and garlic in a small aluminum foil pouch and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in oven 20 to 30 minutes or until tender. Remove from foil and chop.

3. In a large sauté pan, reheat reserved bacon fat over medium heat. Add roasted shallot and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add flour and stir for 1 minute. Whisk in heavy cream and thyme. Reduce by a third. (Don't forget your noodles.)

4. When cream mixture is reduced, stir in cheeses until melted, creamy, and thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and gently stir in pasta. Place in a 9" by 13" casserole dish.

5. In a small bowl, mix together diced bacon, breadcrumbs, butter, and parsley. Top mac n' cheese with breadcrumb mixture and bake uncovered at same heat until bubbling and lightly browned on top, 20 to 25 minutes.

*How to count shallots. Some say by the clove, some by the head. This recipe is probably leaning toward the clove. For you who are good at estimates, shallots taste a lot like onions, but are a bit weaker. So, use what you feel wouldn't overpower the taste. Again, I tend to lean toward a clove count, not a head count for this recipe.