Macaroni and Cheese
Read my review of this recipe.
Ingredients:
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 5 cups milk
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for water
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place the bread crumbs in a medium bowl. Melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the bread crumbs, and toss. Set aside.
Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook the macaroni until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, about 5 minutes. Transfer the macaroni to a colander and drain.
Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes.
While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese (12 ounces), and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere (6 ounces) (or 1 cup Pecorino Romano). Stir the macaroni into the cheese sauce.
Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (6 ounces), 1/2 cup Gruyere (2 ounces) (or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano), and the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer the dish to a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.
Serves 12.
Nutrition:
Substitutions:
I’m still undecided about the nutmeg… certain times I could really taste it and other times I couldn’t. Since Seth likes really brown cheese, I baked the macaroni for 20 minutes and then put it under the broiler for a couple minutes to brown the top.
Recipe courtesy of Smitten Kitchen.