My Best To Date Macaroni and Cheese

 

 

I love to make macaroni and cheese.  My son, Andrew loves it, my husband loves it – and it has become one of my favorites.  I have made every version imaginable – years ago I started adding different proteins — I made a bourbon chicken macaroni and cheese that I served at Andrew’s 7th birthday party that everyone raved about.  I’ve made versions with fried chicken, kielbasa and pulled pork.  One of our favorites is the sweet corn macaroni and cheese that I adapted from a Food Network recipe.  I’ve topped mac and cheese with breadcrumbs, fried shredded potatoes, panko and parmesan, panko and barbecue seasonings and dozens of other combinations.  I’ve used every cheese and combination of cheese, too.  The honey pepper chicken macaroni and cheese copycat recipe I came up with is one of our favorites and is here on the blog.

I pick up things here and there from different cookbooks and cooking shows.  On The Chew the other day, Jussie Smollett made his mother’s Swiss Mac ‘n’ Cheese and one of the things I got from his recipe is that he lines the bottom of the cooking vessel with bread crumbs, too.  A thank you to him for that inspiration.

Best Macaroni and Cheese

1 pound of mezzi rigatoni, cooked in heavily salted water for seven minutes (or any pasta shape you enjoy) — drained and rinsed — yes, rinse.

4 to 5 cups of warm milk

4 tablespoons of butter – half way to browned

1/4 cup of flour

1 tablespoon of salt

1 tablespoon of fresh cracked pepper

2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard

2 cups of cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup of Swiss or Monterey Jack cheese, grated

1/2 cup of Parmesan, grated

For the bread crumbs

1/2 loaf of stale French or Italian bread

1 sprig of rosemary

6 basil leaves

3 to 4 sage leaves

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

I pulsed all the crumb toppings in the food processor until bread crumb consistency and well combined.  I had plenty left over — I placed those crumbs in a covered container to save for another dish later in the week.

For topping – 2 tablespoons of butter diced to sprinkle on top of completed macaroni dish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter the equivalent of a 9 x 13 baking dish.  I made two smaller macaroni and cheese dishes one in an au gratin dish and another in a smaller baker for a friend.  I sprinkled a small hand full of bread crumbs on the bottom of both buttered baking dishes.

In a large sauce pan, melt the butter until almost the point it turns brown — and then add the flour.  I cooked the roux twice as long as normal almost to the point of a dark tan or brown color.  Add the 4 cups of warm milk – stirring constantly.  Add salt, pepper, and Dijon mustard and let the sauce thicken.  I had to add about another cup of warm milk as I felt it was too thick but use your own judgment.  Once it comes to the right consistency — almost like a loose pudding mixture (that is the best analogy I could come up with)  – I added the cheeses — cheddar, swiss or Jack and Parmesan.  Allow the cheese to melt into the sauce.  Once the cheeses are melted and combined — add your cooked pasta to the sauce, mix thoroughly and then transfer your pasta and cheese mixture to the buttered and crumbed baking dish.   Cover the top with the bread crumb mixture and then dot with about 2 tablespoons of butter diced up.

Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes until brown and bubbly.

This was a rush post because of my  impatient friends…so forgive errors.