Mac-N-Cheese Cups

Sooo I've been trying to keep busy and therefore I attempted to make mac-n-cheese cups the other day. I hit a few bumps along the way, but overall I think the recipe was tasty, and this would make a quick-easy app. I also enjoyed it because I made enough mac-n-cheese for like 100 of these cups... so keep in mind that you will have plenty left over for "tasting." For this recipe I used the following ingredients...

Take 2

First attempt at ingredients picture -
Thanks Max.

1 1/2 tbsp Butter

1 1/2 tbsp Flour

1 cup Milk

1/4 cup Cream

1/4 Asiago Cheese

1/2 Cheddar Cheese

1/4 Classic Melt Blend Cheese

Puff Pastry

3/4 box of Small Shell Pasta

Salt & pepper to taste

The roux + milk, cream, & yummy cheeses

So to begin with I pre-heated the oven to 400 degrees and then started making a roux on the stove top. After the roux cooked together for a few minutes I added the milk & cream and let it warm up. Then I added chunks of cheddar cheese, shredded cheese, and shredded some asiago in there as well. I made sure to keep stirring so the cheese melted and it didn't clump. Meanwhile, I boiled salted water and cooked the pasta per the box directions. I then combined the pasta (after it had been strained - in case there was any confusion) and my cheese sauce.

Mac & Cheese!

My next step was to cook my puff pastry cups.... here's where I struggled a bit. I let the puff pastry thaw, and then rolled it out so it was about an inch longer per side. I then formed it into cups using the mini-cupcake trays below. Note to self - make sure you have a rolling pin. I didn't so I used a selzer can... definitely complicates things.

Sooo here's where the issue came in. I cooked them in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for roughly 15 - 20 minutes. What I didn't anticipate was that puff pastry - puffs. So this is what I was greeted with when I opened the oven...

After my initial panic I realized that I could make this work, and I simply cut off the tops and stuffed the bottoms with my mac-n-cheese mixture. I then quickly sauteed some breadcrumbs in a skillet with butter until they got crispy, and then sprinkled them over the cups (This is optional). See the finished product below:

Now you are probably wondering what that other thing is on the plate.... that is another creation I made and will divulge the recipe once I have perfected it! (Hopefully soon - possibly never).