Gordon's macaroni cheese

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 shallots, finely diced
• 250g dried macaroni
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 100g girolles, trimmed and cut into even pieces
• 1 sprig of thyme, leaves removed
• 75ml white wine
• 200ml double cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 200g stichelton cheese, or similar eg stilton
• 100g Parmesan
• Handful chives, finely chopped
• 25g butter
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil

Method: How to make Gordon's macaroni cheese

1. Add the macaroni to a large pan of boiling salted water with the olive oil and cook for 7-10 minutes until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold water to remove excess starch. Return to the pan and set aside.

2. Melt the oil in a small frying pan. Add the mushrooms and fry until golden brown, add a small knob of butter and the thyme, cook for another minute then season with pepper. Drain the excess oil from the pan and then add the shallots and cook for a further 2 minutes or until softened, deglaze with the wine, reduce by half and set aside

3. Bring the cream to a gentle boil and add it to the mushrooms, add the egg yolks, chives and parmesan, mix well and crumble in two-thirds of the cheese. Add the macaroni to the cheese sauce and stir until everything is fully incorporated. Heat gently for a few minutes to melt the cheese. Season with pepper.

4. Butter the ovenproof dish, and pour in the mixture. Top with some stichelton and parmesan and transfer to a med oven for 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown, remove and leave to stand for 5 minutes or so, then serve.