Shrimp and Roasted Red Pepper Macaroni & Cheese with Roasted Pearl Onion Cabernet Sauvignon Glace

A macaroni and cheese recipe that like no other!

     Traditionally, macaroni & cheese is made with a good cheddar cheese and not American processed cheese.  Anything that tastes good with cheddar cheese can be added to a traditional baked macaroni & cheese recipe.  Roasted red peppers and shrimp taste great with cheddar!
     The accompanying roasted pearl onion and cabernet sauvignon reduction compliments the cheddar cheese flavor.  I usually call a reduction sauce a glace in my recipes.  Reduction in a recipe title sounds too mechanical.
    
     Shrimp and Roasted Red Pepper Macaroni & Cheese:

     This recipe makes one portion!  A 5" pop-ring mold was used to make this free standing style macaroni & cheese.  If no pop-ring mold is available, then use a single portion casserole dish.

     Poach 5 or 6 large shrimp in boiling water, till they become fully cooked.

     Cool the shrimp under cold running water.

     Peel and devein the shrimp.

     Set the shrimp aside.

     Make a white roux with 2 ounces of unsalted butter and 2 ounces of flour in a sauce pot over medium low heat while constantly stirring.

     When the roux becomes a white color, remove the pot from the heat and set it aside.

     Heat 1 1/2 cups of milk over medium low heat in a sauce pot.   (Do not scald or boil the milk.)

     When the milk becomes hot,  slowly add enough of the white roux while whisking to thicken the bechamel sauce to a medium thin sauce consistency.  Save any extra roux for another recipe.

     Add sea salt and white pepper.

     Add 1 pinch of cayenne pepper.

     Add 1 pinch of paprika.

     Add 1 pinch of ground anatto.  (Anatto (achiote oil) is the flavoring ingredient in yellow cheddar cheese.)

     Add 1/2 cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese, while stirring with a whisk.  (The bechamel sauce should be quite "cheesy" in flavor.)

     Stir and simmer the sauce long enough for the cheese to melt and become part of the sauce.  (Simmering for too much time will cause the oils of cheddar cheese to separate from the sauce.)

     Remove the sauce from the heat and set it aside.

     Cook 1 portion of macaroni pasta in boiling water, till it becomes al dente.

     Drain the water off of the pasta.

     Place the macaroni pasta in a mixing bowl.

     Add enough of the cheese sauce to generously coat the noodles.

     Mix the ingredients together.

     Lightly brush a 5" pop-ring mold with melted butter.

     Place a thin layer of the macaroni and cheese in the casserole dish.

     Place a few thick roasted red bell pepper strips on the mac & cheese, against the wall of the ring mold, so the pepper strips can be seen when the finished mac & cheese is presented.

     Alternate a few layers of mac & cheese with roasted red pepper strips to create a few red stripes around the outside of the mac & cheese.  Fill the pop-ring mold to the top.

     Arrange the poached shrimp on top of the mac & cheese, so they look nice.

     Lightly brush each shrimp with melted unsalted butter.

     Sprinkle a very small amount of fine plain French bread crumbs over the casserole.

     Bake in a 350 degree oven, till the macaroni & cheese becomes boiling hot.

     Roasted Pearl Onion Cabernet Sauvignon Glace:
     Place 5 whole unpeeled pearl onions on a small roasting pan.
     Lightly brush the pearl onions with vegetable oil.
     Roast the pearl onions in a 350º oven, till they become tender.
     Allow the onions to cool.
     Pinch the end of each pearl onion to remove the skin.
     Set the pearl onions aside.
     Place 1 cup of cabernet sauvignon wine in a small sauce pot.
     Add 1 teaspoon of sugar.of sugar in a small sauce pot over medium high heat.  Place the pot over medium/medium low heat.
     Simmer and reduce, till the wine becomes a very thin syrup consistency.
     Add the reserved pearl onions.
     Simmer and reduce, till the wine becomes a thin glace sauce consistency.
     Use a rubber spatula to place the roasted pearl onion cabernet sauvignon glace into a small cup.
     Keep the glace warm on a stove top.
    
     Shrimp and Roasted Red Pepper Macaroni & Cheese with Roasted Pearl Onion Cabernet Sauvignon Glace:
     Set the shrimp and roasted red pepper macaroni & cheese on a stove top to rest.
     Let the mac & cheese cool to room temperature, so it gels and becomes solid.
     Run a paring knife around the edge of the pop-ring mold to free the mac & cheese.
     Remove the pop-ring.
     Use a spatula to free the mac & cheese from the pop-ring mold base and transfer the solid mac & cheese to a plate.
     Place the plate in a 350º oven for 2 to 3 minutes, to partially reheat the mac & cheese.
     Us a spoon to steam the cabernet sauvignon glace on the plate.
     Arrange the roasted pearl onions in the plate.
     Place a few Italian flat parsley leaves on top of the mac n cheese.
    
     Roasted red peppers, shrimp and macaroni n cheese is a very nice flavor combination!  The sweet roasted pearl onion and the cabernet reduction flavors are a perfect match for this macaroni n cheese.  Red wine is better than white wine with cheddar cheese.
     I found this French 2006 Moulin A Vent Cru Du Beaujolais for $4.00 a bottle at a close out sale.  This is a bargain price!  The quality of this affordable French red wine is far better than most California wines.  Banner years of high wine production can cause the prices of French wine to become cheap.  2004 through 2006 vintages were some banner years for French wine production.
     Moulin A Vent A Vent Cru Du Beaujolais is the king of the cru.  Because of adverse soil stress, the small production grapes that Romans introduced to this winery's area do produce a richer full bodied beaujolais.  Most beaujolais must be consumed within 6 years.  Moulin A Vent Cru Du Beaujolais can age for over 10 years!
     Pairing a cabernet sauvignon with an entree that features a cabernet sauce would not be a good choice.  A full bodied well rounded wine like a cru du beaujolais is a nice choice for pairing with this Shrimp and Roasted Red Pepper Macaroni & Cheese with Roasted Pearl Onion Cabernet Sauvignon Glace.  Yum!  ...  Shawna