“Jalapeño mac and cheese” is the most popular search term for the San Antonio Palate.  And, it’s no wonder… Myron’s Jalapeño Mac and Cheese is THE best in town.  Last week while dining at Myron’s, we asked our server, Shane, for the recipe.  He gave us a list of ingredients and instructions… but no measurements!  So we guessed.  The result…a good start, but not quite right.  Apparently, the recipe was run in the paper of a few years back — and thanks to the help of my fellow Yelper, Scott C., we now have the real deal recipe!   We will definitely be experimenting again next weekend!!

Myron’s Jalapeño Mac and Cheese
Serves 8

• 1 1/2 quarts water
• 1 pound medium pasta shells
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 6 whole pickled jalapeños (about 3/4 cup), chopped
• 1 (7-ounce) can mild green chiles
• 12 ounces white cheese slices (Monterey Jack works well), coarsely chopped
• 2.1/4 cups heavy cream
• 8-10 slices sharp Cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bring water to a rolling boil in large pot. Add pasta, oil and salt and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Drain and pour pasta into a deep casserole dish or 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish.

Add jalapeños and green chiles, white cheese and heavy cream. Stir well to mix thoroughly. Cover with foil and cook approximately 30 minutes. Remove from oven.  *When we asked for the recipe at Myron’s, they said to puree the jalapeños and green chilies and then drain and mix the reserved liquid with the cream and cheese (discard solids.)  This makes sense since Myron’s mac and cheese doesn’t actually have any chile bits in it.  **We were also told at the restaurant to add white Velveeta at this point as well. 

Spoon into individual round gratin dishes and place one slice of Cheddar cheese on top of each, or simply place Cheddar slices over the macaroni in the large casserole dish. (If preferred, cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.)

Place in preheated oven or microwave to heat mixture through and to melt Cheddar cheese. Serve immediately. *The browned top that you get at Myron’s is from the oven… if you put it in the microwave, the cheese will melt but not brown.*

Makes 8 servings, each 690 calories (60.8 percent calories from fat), 48 g fat, 165 mg cholesterol, 700 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydratess, 2 g dietary fiber, 24 g protein.  So basically, this is not health food.. but you knew that, right? 🙂