Maccarony Cheese

Two Ounces of best Glocester Cheese, 4 Ounces Cheshire Do. grated – put it into a Stone Mortar with two Eggs, two or three Spoonfulls of Sack or Mountain Wine, beat it ’till it’s well mixt and Light – Boil the Maccarony in Water very tender, then drain it well, put it on a Dish or Plate and lay the prepared Cheese all over it and brown it with a Salamander.

This late 18th century recipe for macaroni and cheese comes courtesy of Cooking in the Archives. We adjusted the cheeses somewhat and doubled it; the recipe as we cooked it is presented here.

It's very tasty and comes together extremely quickly and easily. It also, unlike most macaroni and cheese recipes, calls for no dairy apart from the cheeses themselves, which are both aged and cultured -- no milk or cream. This makes it good for lactose intolerant folks such as myself.

Ingredients, for 1 lb short pasta:

• 120g double gloucester cheese
• 240g medium (1 yr or so?) cheddar
• 4 eggs
• 60mL sweet or dessert wine

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Cook pasta al dente. 
3. While pasta is cooking, grate cheeses into a bowl. Add eggs and wine and beat together. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Drain pasta and put in a baking dish. Spread the cheese-egg mixture evenly over the top of the pasta. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is lightly browned.