Bacon Mac'n'Cheese with Blistered Sun-Gold Tomatoes

This rich and creamy dish, I find is best on a cold day.  The texture of the bacon adds a nice contrast to the tender pasta and cloying sauce, and the bright acidity and sweetness of the warm sun-gold tomatoes cuts the richness and is really a burst of flavor.

I used an imported course durum pasta from Italy.  It is important when constructing a good pasta dish not to get cheap with the pasta.  Look for pastas that have a very grainy or course look to them.  The coarseness of the pasta will help the sauce stick to the pasta, and is usually indicative of a higher quality, occasionally handmade pasta.

Because this dish is both baked and very saucy, it is critical that when the pasta is cooked, it is al dente.  Though most pastas will have instructions for al dente cooking, I find the only way to truly know when the pasta is ready is to taste the pasta after a few minutes of cooking.  Al dente needs to have a little firmness to it, but no raw pasta remaining.  the best way to tell is when you bite the pasta, look at the other half and if you can clearly see uncooked pasta, give it another 30 seconds and try again.  the pasta will continue to cook in the sauce while it is being baked, and therefore, will be perfectly cooked when it gets pulled from the oven.

TRADE SECRETS: Pasta can be cooked ahead of time and stored for a quick and easy pick up.  This allows you to spend more time with your guests instead of in the kitchen during your event.  The most important part of cooking pasta ahead of time is how you cool the pasta.  Most home cooks will run the cooked pasta under cold water after they strain it, and this is the worst thing you can do to cooked pasta.  The boiling water you cook in relaxes and expands the starch in the pasta, and cooling cooked pasta contracts those same starches.  By rinsing cooked pasta, water becomes trapped in the cooked starch, and gets released into the sauce of your final dish when it gets heated back up.  The best way to cool pasta is to lay it on a sheet tray near an open window or fan, drizzle with a VERY small amount of oil to prevent sticking.

BACON MAC'N'CHEESE WITH BLISTERED SUN-GOLD CHERRY TOMATOES
4 Portions

1/2# Amore Pasta

SAUCE
1/2 each Yellow Onion
3 Cups Heavy Cream
4 Sprigs Thyme
1 Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
2 Strips Bacon
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Sharp Shredded White Cheddar Cheese

GARNISH
1/2# Bacon
1 Pint Sun-Gold Cherry Tomatoes
2 Tbls Parsley
2-3 Tbls Sharp White Cheddar Cheese

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Strain and lightly oil.  Allow to cool on a sheet pan or cookie tray by an open window or fan.
2. Small dice the yellow Onion and sweat in olive oil or butter until translucent.  Add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer.
3. Add the red pepper flakes, thyme, and bacon and continue to simmer until reduced by 1/3.
4. While sauce is simmering, cook bacon until very crispy in a 350 degree oven.  Pat dry with a paper towel and finely chop.
5. Thoroughly wash the tomatoes and toss with a teaspoon of rendered bacon fat.  Place on a sheet tray and roast in your preheated oven until the skin splits open.
6. Strain the sauce into a bowl and mix in the cheeses.  combine the remaining prepared mise en place and and fold together until completely mixed.
7. Top the crock with the extra grated cheddar and place in your oven until golden brown.