Bacon & Pear Mac N Cheese

Bacon & Pear Mac N Cheese

 

Ingredients:
2 cups elbow macaroni (measured before it’s cooked)
8 slices bacon, cut into small tidbit size pieces
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion (1 medium)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups whole milk
8 ounces smoked Gouda cheese, rind removed and shredded
1 8 – ounce package cream cheese, cubed and softened
2 tablespoons snipped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 red and/or green pears, thinly chopped into 1″ chunks
4 tablespoons finely shredded Parmesan cheese
Procedure:
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Turn burner off and return pasta to hot pan; cover to keep warm. Set aside.
In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Place bacon on a paper towel to drain. Pour off bacon drippings reserving 2 tablespoons in skillet.  Crumble bacon and set aside.
Cook onion and garlic in bacon drippings over medium heat until onion is good and translucent.  The longer you cook the onion the deeper the flavor. Cook the onion 8-10 minutes until it is caramelized. Stir in flour, dry mustard and pepper. Add milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; reduce heat. Add smoked Gouda cheese and cream cheese; cook and stir until almost melted.
Pour cheese sauce over the cooked pasta. Stir in oregano and all but ½ cup of the crumbled bacon. Transfer mixture to an ungreased 2-quart baking dish; cover.
 Bake in a 350 degrees oven for 25 minutes.
Melt butter in the 8″ skillet. Stir in brown sugar. Add pears and cook. Stir occasionally until they are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Remove cover from the baking dish. Stir about half of the cooked pears into the macaroni and cheese. Spoon remaining pears on top of macaroni and cheese; sprinkle with Parmesan and reserved crumbled bacon. Return to oven and bake 5 more minutes or until Parmesan has softened. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.