Symon Sundays: Mac and Cheese with Roasted Chicken, Goat Cheese and Rosemary

Procrastination has always seemed to work in my favor. Or at least that's what I tell myself. (I like to believe I work well under pressure, but I'm pretty sure my husband would say other wise.) On any rate, you won't catch me doing things ahead very often. That hospital bag you are supposed to have packed weeks before your due date? I packed mine through my contractions right before we left to go to the hospital. (And my pregnancy went full term.) Shopping for a birthday or shower gift? I'm most likely to hit Target on the way to the party. And preparing my dishes for Symon Sundays? Despite my thinking ahead, they always seem to get done last minute.

However, this week is the exception. I'm a floral desinger, and with Mother's Day coming, I'm going to be pretty busy. But I wanted to make sure I didn't miss out on this mac and cheese, since I love using goat cheese as a base for pasta. Joanne picked this one, and of all the things we've made from Live to Cook, I found this one to be the most simple, in terms of ingredients, and the least complicated to prepare. Sage said it was perhaps his favorite of Symon Sunday recipe so far, and I think Beckett agreed. For once we didn't have to to bribe him to finish his dinner.

Since this isn't the healthiest of dishes, I halved it and made a few changes. My grocery doesn't carry a whole wheat or multi-grain rigatoni, so I went with a penne instead. I also used half and half instead of the heavy cream. I know when reducing it, you should use heavy cream, but I couldn't justify the extra fat. It worked fine, I just had to alter the cooking times a bit. It was a little dry after I stirred in the penne, but a few tablespoons pasta water did the trick.

The only thing I wished we'd done differently was to have bigger pieces of chicken. I picked up a rotisserie chicken for this, and since handling chicken on the bone is something that creeps me out, Sage did it for me. I was picturing bigger shreds, but he finely shredded it. Texture wise, I think it would be better in slightly larger chunks. It was still yummy though, and made for a nice dinner when paired with roasted broccoli.

Mac and Cheese with Roasted Chicken, Goat Cheese and Rosemary

adapted from Live to Eat, Michael Symons, 3-4 servings

1 pint (2 cups) half and half

1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

kosher salt

1/2 lb dried multi-grain pasta (such as penne, rigatoni, etc.)

4 oz goat cheese

1 cup shredded roast chicken

In a saucepan over high heat, add the half and half, rosemary and 1/4 tsp salt. Bring just to a simmer, then lower to medium and reduce the mixture by half.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add pasta, and cook until al dente. Drain.

Add goat cheese and chicken to half and half, once reduced, and bring the mixture back to a simmer. Continue cooking until it coats back of spoon, about 15 minutes.

Toss cooked pasta with sauce.