Gaylord's Mac n Cheese with Truffle Oil

(My name is Gaylord. So this is mine, mine, all mine.)

Do not walk, RUN to your grocery store and make this. You won't regret it. My husband and I recently had a mac n cheese dish at a nice restaurant near Times Sq. with some friends and HOLY MOLY was it good. The new addition? Truffle oil. Lord have mercy. My husband ordered THREE of them - 2 for the table, and 1 all for himself. (He likes cheese.)

I made up my own recipe for it and just made it a couple of days ago. And now I'm sharing it with you. I also doubled this recipe and it made a LOT of it. Oops!

1 1/2 cup uncooked tri-colored orzo
1 1/2 cups grated, slightly packed, sharp cheddar cheese (I might recommend Wisconsin, I used regular sharp cheddar and it was delicious)
1-2 Tbs white truffle oil
2-3 green onions, sliced thinly
2 Tbs (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 Tbs flour
3/4 cup milk (I used whole, 2% would be fine too)
3/4 cup canned vegetable broth
salt & pepper to taste

Bring 2 quarts lightly salted water to boil in medium pot. Add orzo slowly, stirring to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom. Bring back to rapid bowl, stirring, and boil for 8-10 minutes. Discard water, drain orzo.

In another medium pot over medium-high heat, melt 2 Tbs of butter, add flour and whisk constantly for 2 minutes. Add milk and vegetable broth, whisking constantly, and bring to boil. Continue whisking for 2 additional minutes. You will see it begin to thicken.
Add green onions, continue whisking for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add grated cheddar cheese, stirring until all the cheese has melted. Add 1-2 Tbs white truffle oil, stirring until incorporated. Add drained orzo and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately or chill and heat up to serve again. Yum!

White Cheddar Puffs with Green Onions

(Adapted from The Bon Appetit Cookbook: Fast Easy Fresh)

Makes about 18 puffs

1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (packed) extra-sharp white cheddar
1/3 cup green onions, minced

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Bring the water, butter, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Remove from heat; mix in flour. Stir over medium heat until the mixture becomes slightly shiny and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition to form a sticky dough. Mix in the cheese and green onions.

Using two teaspoons, form the dough into 1-1 1/4 inch ovals. Drop onto baking sheet 1 inch apart.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake cheese puffs until golden, about 30 minutes if using room temperature dough and 35 minutes if the dough is chilled or frozen. Serve immediately.

From Dishing Up Delights.