Would You Like Some Mac&Cheese with that Wine?

Four Cheese and Wine Mac&Cheese 

• 1/3 cup goat cheese 
• 1/3 feta cheese 
• 1.5/4 sharp cheddar cheese (shredded) 
• 1.5/4 Parmesan cheese ( shredded) 
• 2 cups half and half 
• 3 TBSP of flour
• 5 TBSP of butter 
• 1/2 pound thick cut bacon 
• 1 pound macaroni noodles ( or any small individual noodles you like) 
• Spices: cayenne pepper, all spice, garlic powder, oregano 
• 1 cup chardonnay 

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, pre-heat skillet and put pasta on to boil. 
2.  Melt 5 tablespoons of butter into skillet
3. Mix in three tablespoons of flour, while stirring constantly. Stir until consistent blend.
4. Slowly pour in half and half while still stirring. Stir until consistent. 
5. Bring sauce to gentle boil then reduce heat until simmer. simmer for two minutes. Keep stirring.
6. Add cheeses to sauce and stir until melted. The goat cheese and feta will not melt completely, go off the cheddar and parmesan. 
7. Add spices and cup of Chardonnay and mix well. 
8. Drain pasta and add to casserole dish.
9. Mix in sauce and bacon. Mix well 
10. Sprinkle evenly, but liberally enough cheese on top to make you happy. 
11. Bake in oven for 30 minutes. 
12. Take out and post to Instagram or you know, eat it, I don't care. 

Finished product. Shout out to Torre di Pietra and their excellent Chiaro de Luna wine!

WINE PAIRING: Chardonnay 

    Never fear people, I am back to making excellent food again! I am happy to say this dish came out excellent. This dish is very creamy, but balanced by the fire of cayenne and the earthiness of the all spice. Random fact but all spice is only one spice made from the berries of the Pimenta dioica tree. It is called all spice because English explorers thought the berries had a taste of nutmeg cinnamon and cloves. This is an excellent main dish or one that could go well as side to any pork dish. The chardonnay in the dish helps as a mediator in tying everything together. For those of you worried about the goat cheese, it is very creamy taste and soft texture, nothing to exotic for most to handle.

    The wine that pairs well with this meal is an un-oaked chardonnay.  Un-oaked means that the wine was fermented in stainless steal vats rather than oak barrels. This allows for more of the grapes themselves to shine through and not compete with the tannin and flavors of oak, Chardonnay has a crisp acidity and tropical fruit that will cut the richness of the dish, while its crème brûlée notes will correspond with the creaminess of the cheese sauce.

'Till next time eat, drink, and be merry! 

Cody