Celebrity Chef Wolfgang Puck Shares Secret in Cooking Mac and Cheese to Perfection

U.S–based celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck has shared a mac and cheese recipe that he promises, as capable of delivering the perfect macaroni and cheese eating-experience any time.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, the highly revered chef who has been catering the post-Academy banquet for over 20 years, took time to share the secret on how he cooks America’s favorite macaroni cheese dish to gourmet perfection.

According to Wolfgang Puck, who also holds the reputation for being the only chef to have claimed the “OutstandingChef of the Year Award” multiple times over, the secret to a perfect mac and cheese is to use two types of cheese.

Without further ado, find below the recipe he shared with the Daily Mail:

Wolfgang Puck’s Perfect Mac and Cheese Recipe

Wolfgang explained to the Daily Mail that the recipe he shared caters to up to 16 individuals.

What to Use as Mac and Cheese Ingredients

  • 3 boxes of cavatappi pasta, the tubular, short corkscrew shaped pasta that goes well when cooked with thick and chunky sauces
  • ½ kg low moisture mozzarella
  • ½ kg aged cheddar; the longer the cheese is aged, the sharper the flavor
  • 2.75kg béchamel sauce, as traditionally made from butter and flour
  • 800g crème fraiche, which is similar to sour cream, but different as it is more fluid and less sour
  • Dash of cream
  • 20g fleur de sel or salt that forms a surface crust when it evaporates
  • 700g extra mozzarella

Things You Need for the Assembly

  • 16 each parchments strips measuring 18“ x 2”
  • 320g of the two-cheese mix (mozzarella and aged cheddar)
  • Brioche bread pounded into bread crumbs
  • Butter
  • 16 7“ ceramic gratin dishes

Directions for Cooking and Assembly

  1. Mix and cook the bechamel sauce, crème fraiche, fleur de sel, and dash of cream In a saucepan, until the mixture simmers.
  2. Remove the saucepan from the hob once the mixture has simmered and then stir in and dissolve the two-cheese mix.
  3. In a large pot with salted water, cook the cavatappi pasta to ‘al dente’ consistency. 
  4. Remove from heat and then pour ice water before draining the al dente cavatappi pasta
  5. Mix the pasta and cheese sauce well in a large mixing bowl, while stirring in the extra mozzarella
  6. To assemble, place a 7” ring mould in each gratin dish:
  7. Lightly butter the parchment strips before lining them in the 7“ ring mould with buttered side in.
  8. Fill each mould with 400g of the pasta mix.
  9. Top all pasta-filled moulds with 20g of the cheese mix.
  10. Top each filled mould with a sprinkle of 5g Brioche breadcrumbs .
  11. Remove the ring moulds but do not remove the parchment strips.
  12. Cook the mac and cheese mixture in a 380F or 190C oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. Make sure the inside is very hot but without causing the cheese sauce on the outside to break.
  13. Remove the parchment before serving.
  14. Add more extra mozzarella if preferred.