Mac and cheese with truffle

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• High-quality olive oil
• 220 g shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps cut into 1 cm thick strips.
• 220 g of brown champignons, stems removed, caps cut into 1 cm thick strips.
• 1/4 tbsp. cream sherry, for example Harveys Bristol Cream
• 450 g cavatappi pasta, such as De Cecco
• 4 cups whole milk
• 85g white truffle butter, such as Urbani
• 0.5 cups premium flour
• 4 tbsp. grated gruyere (280 gr.)
• 3 cups grated extra sharp white cheddar (220 g)
• 0.5 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1.5 cups cubed white bread (no crusts)
• 2 chopped garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 190°C.
2. In a large (30 cm) skillet, melt the butter in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cook over medium heat for 3–5 minutes, until softened. Add the sherry and cook for 2–3 minutes, until the sherry is absorbed. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon of salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, cook for 6–8 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
4. Bring the milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Melt the truffle oil in a larger (4-quart) saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly pour in the hot milk and cook for 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture reaches the consistency of heavy cream. Remove from heat and stir in the Gruyere, Cheddar, 2 tablespoons of salt, 2 teaspoons of black pepper, and nutmeg.
5. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, cream sauce, and two-thirds of the mushrooms and transfer to a 25x33x5cm baking dish. Place the bread, garlic, and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until finely chopped. Sprinkle the herb-bread crumbs evenly over the pasta and arrange the remaining mushrooms in the center.
6. Bake for 35–45 minutes, until the sauce begins to simmer and the crumbs are golden brown. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes and serve hot.