Food REVIEW: Joy the Baker's Bonkers Awesome Mushroom and Onion Shells and Cheese

I'm currently on the bench which means that I'm not staffed on a project.  My last project ended the Friday before Christmas so I've been enjoying some down time ever since.  Being on the bench also means that I get to be home instead of travelling, which also means eating home cooked meals again.  I am loving being able to control what I eat and make my own food again.  Marek seems to like it too.  :)

In anticipation of being at home and eating real food again, I started pinning and saving various recipes.  One of those was Joy the Baker's Bonkers Awesome Mushroom and Onion Shells and Cheese - basically mac and cheese with a layer of caramelized onions and mushrooms.  Good stuff.  I'm not going to bother posting a bunch of pictures of each step in the process because Joy has that pretty well covered over at her own blog.

Whenever I make a new recipe, I try to follow it exactly the first time so I can get as close to the intended dish as possible.  (Except for garlic quantities - pretty much always double or triple that.)  While I'm making it, I usually make mental notes for myself for the next time, if the recipe is worth repeating.  Things I evaluate when I'm making the recipe:

-Does the end result taste good?  (most important!!!!)
-Is the recipe easy to follow?  (I have definitely been known to rewrite recipes that I think are hard to follow)
-Are the ingredients easy to find?
-Does it reheat well?  (what if there are leftovers?)
-How much of a mess does it make?  aka How many dishes will I have to do when I'm done making this?


So general thoughts on this recipe:
Good things
very, very tasty (few different cheeses, the mushrooms and onions are very good), reheats well, and would definitely make it again, with some modifications

Changes I would make
I would rewrite the recipe so that it's easier to do mise en place (if that's your thing) and reduces overall clean up - see below for my rewrite.  Joy's recipe does not lump together certain ingredients (such as butter) when they are used in two different components, which I found frustrating.  The worst part of this recipe though was the number of dishes/utensils I used.

This is a picture of my sink when I was done.  LOOK AT THAT MESS (and I tried to keep it clean).  For the record, there is another pan under the sauce pan on the left.  (Normally I make the pictures a little smaller but I want to be able to show all the detail.)

A quick roundup of all the utensils used:
-Large pasta pot
-Large saucepan
-Saute pan
-Larger saute pan
-Cutting boards (2)
-Cheese grater
-Plates (2) - used to hold mushrooms and onions after they'd been cooked
-Whisks (2) - large one for sauce and small one for tempering
-Mixing spoons (3)
-Spatulas (2)
-Wire strainer - used to take the pasta out once it had cooked - other option is to use a strainer
-Small bowl - used to temper the egg
-Measuring cup
-Measuring spoons - may have gotten away with only one
-Knives
-Spoon - used to measure flour
-Pie plate - to cook mac and cheese in

That is...a LOT of utensils.  A lot of these can't go in the dishwasher (plus our dishwasher kind of stinks so that doesn't help either).  It did not make for a fun clean up situation.

So here is how I would rewrite the recipe.

Joy the Baker's Bonkers Awesome Mushroom and Onion Mac and Cheese - with Jenn's modifications

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided into 2 TBSP + 2 TBSP

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided into 5 TBSPS + 1 TBSP and + 1 TBSP + additional for greasing pan

1 large yellow onion, sliced in semi-circles

half a pound of button or cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, divided

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1 large egg

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces goat cheese

1/2 cup shredded Gruyère

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 pound pasta shells, boiled until just undercooked

1/3 cup panko crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

*Before beginning, get pasta water boiling.  I recommend cooking pasta for whatever the box says MINUS at least 3 minutes.  This keeps the pasta slightly undercooked and it finishes cooking during baking - which prevents the pasta from getting overcooked and mushy.

*Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 

*My recipe eliminates two pans used by cooking the macaroni and cheese in the pan that the sauce is cooked in.  I recommend using an oven-safe saute pan or skillet.  However, Joy's original instruction is:  Lightly grease a baking pan. I used a deep 10-inch pie pan, though a 9×13-inch pan would be great as well.

1.  In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add the bread crumbs and toast until panko has absorbed all the butter. Remove mixture from pan and store to the side.

2.  In a medium skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.  When heated, add the sliced onions and saute until translucent, stirring occasionally.  Add a pinch of salt, a pinch of black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme, and reduce the heat to low.  Continue to cook until the onions are completely browned and thoroughly cooked, about 5 minutes. Spoon caramelized onions into a small bowl and set aside.

3.  In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the quartered mushrooms and stir to coat in fat. Allow the mushrooms to soften and brown, about 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt, a pinch of black pepper , and remaining thyme and reduce the heat to low. Cook until mushrooms are browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

4.  In same skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir until mixture is combined. Add the milk and whisk together until mixture has thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add scant teaspoon of salt and black pepper. Stir to combine.

5.  In a small bowl, beat the egg. Add a few tablespoons of the warm cream sauce to the egg and whisk together. Once the egg is warmed, add it back to the cream sauce and whisk well to combine.

6.  Reduce heat to low and stir in cheeses. Stir until melted and combined.

7.  Add the cooked pasta and stir until all of the pasta is coated in cheese sauce.  Stir in mushrooms and onions.  Top with breadcrumb mixture.  (Note: if using a separate baking dish, Joy's instruction is: Spoon half of the pasta mixture into the greased pan. Top with caramelized onions and mushrooms. Top with the remaining pasta mixture and then top with breadcrumbs.)

8.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the bread crumbs are browned and the pasta is sizzling. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Joy's note: Pasta can be made a day ahead and left in the fridge unbaked. Just add the bread crumbs just before baking.