In good taste…Herby mac pie with smoked Gouda

Herby Macaroni Pie (Photo by Cynthia Nelson)

A family’s recipe for macaroni and cheese, macaroni pie or pie, whichever you prefer to call it should not be messed with. The texture and flavour is their signature and made to suit the taste of the family. However, every now and then it is good to change things up a bit, even if it is at the risk of being told off. Don’t worry though, they will grudgingly polish off the pie and dare to warn you with their mouths full not to try anything new again. Justice is rendered when they sheepishly come to you some time in the future, like on a special occasion or holiday, and ask you to make “that pie” again.

Changing or mixing cheeses is one of the easiest ways to give some variety to your mac and cheese. In this recipe I used smoked Gouda but you can use any other type of smoked cheese available to you. It doesn’t even have to be a smoked variety; any combination of other cheese can work. Havarti, blue cheese, Parmesan can all work. The rule of thumb to remember is that you want cheese that’s creamy, hard, sharp or aged and cheese that melts well.

Adding fresh herbs is another way to enhance the flavour of your pie. This recipe uses a combination of cheese and fresh herbs to