Mac & Cheese

 

 

 

 

I remember back when I did my first Thanksgiving and I was debating whether I should do mac & cheese. Mac & cheese is literally my number one food. I could it eat everyday, I love it in all forms. Cheap. Crappy. Gooey. Dry. Cheesy. Doesn’t matter I don’t discriminate against mac & cheese. I even like the boxed mac & cheese (though it’s debatable whether you can actually call that real food). I can’t resist getting it out no matter where we go. I even love it in pies!

I think it comes from my childhood growing up and never really experiencing the real thing. I remember as a kid thinking, “WHY ISN’T OUR CHEESE ORANGE AND GOOEY LIKE THE TV COMMERCIALS!” It was a very quixotic quest for mac & cheese as a kid. My mom’s definition of it was typically spaghetti noodles with slices of white deli American cheese. Now mind you, this is delicious, yet it is not in any shape or form mac & cheese. It does, however, explain why I love white deli American cheese and I think it’s highly underrated.

Other than the spaghetti chronicles, I never really got to experience it. The boxed brand was not allowed, as it was “full of chemicals and not real.” Well Mom, you were right, but it doesn’t mean it still doesn’t taste delicious.

By the time I was 14, and we had finally gotten a microwave, we would buy the Stouffer’s brand mac & cheese and while it wasn’t perfec,t it hit the spot sometimes.

I would always seek out mac & cheese. Boston Market was always the best, with it’s ultra orange cheese and rotini noodles. To this day, if mac & cheese is on the menu, I always order it, I can’t resist.

So back to Thanksgiving, mac & cheese is not a traditional Thanksgiving Day item to my knowledge, but I went out on a limb that year and figured people would not be upset at the thought of mac & cheese. It was a hit and as a result I make it every year. Mac & cheese is great with everything. I always pair it with fried chicken and it freezes well, so if you make too much, you can save it for later.

I always use the America’s Test Kitchen Recipe/Technique for this dish, and their basic thing is that they make a bechamel sauce. I like to incorporate Gouda, Gruyere, Cheddar, Colby Jack, and Muenster Cheese into my cheese blend. I like to bake my mac & cheese in the oven so I can make a delicious buttery brioche crust. I’m not about topping the mac & cheese with all sorts of other toppings like bacon, tomatoes, peas, or anything else. I’m a traditionalist. If you make this dish, get ready for it to become a staple at your Turkey Day Table.  I used raw cheddar and muenster as well in this blend.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 lb Elbow Macaroni

Pot of Boiling Water

1 Tbsp. of Salt

2 Stick of Butter (one stick goes with the bread crumbs)

1/4 Cup of Flour

1 loaf of good quality White Sandwich Bread (I used Brioche Buns, you can also just use a loaf of brioche)

1 Cup of Shredded Gruyere Cheese

1 Cup of Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 Cup of Colby Jack Cheese

1 Cup of Shredded Gouda Cheese

1 Cup of Deli White American Cheese (make sure it’s good quality)

1 Cup of Shredded Muenster Cheese

1 Cup of Heavy Cream

3 Cups of Whole Milk (Warmed)

2 Tsp. Salt

1 Tsp. Ground Mustard

Method

First prepare your crumb topping. Pulse the bread in a food processor with one stick of butter and set aside.

Now, prepare your boiling pot of water and add your tbsp. of salt. The water should be salty (ocean water consistency). Then, add your macaroni and cook for 5-6 minutes. It’s okay if they are slightly undercooked. They are going to cook more in the oven.

Once your pasta is cooked, strain it but keep some pasta water in the pot.

Heat your milk with a very low heat so that the milk doesn’t separate.

In a separate large sauce pan, add your other stick of butter. Once it begins to foam, stir in your flour (I like to remove it from the stove as I add the flour so I can make sure it doesn’t clump up) until you have a nice smooth consistency.

Once you have a smooth creamy consistency in your flour and butter, add your warm milk. Then, add your cream, salt, and ground mustard. Allow this to simmer for a minute so it all melds together, then add your cheeses. If you are finding the sauce to be too cumbersome, add some more cream.

Now, pour your macaroni into a large Pyrex, then add your sauce on top. Stir so all of the macaroni is covered evenly. Then top with your breadcrumb topping and bake for 20 minutes (for however long it takes for the topping to become golden brown).

Serve and Enjoy!

*If you want to make this ahead of time you can, just add the breadcrumb topping prior to serving.