The time has come for me to share my love obsession of Macaroni & Cheese with the world. How I managed to have a blog for nearly a month and a half and not mention this is disheartening to my little mac & cheese loving bones. I don’t think you people understand my love for this stuff. The greatest compliment you can pay me is “I saw and/or ate mac & cheese and thought of you.”
That’s how serious it is folks.
Thankfully, the time has arrived though for me to disclose to you my all-time fav recipe.
WOOOO-HOOOOOOOO!!!!!
I am kinda excited.
Daphne over at Flip Flops and Pearls is hosting a recipe exchange today so I decided to jump in and surprise her readers with the best ever mac & cheese recipe..ever.
Fellow readers-you can thank me later 😉
This recipe is not an original I might warn you-I am not an original recipe kinda girl.
Steering 1 tablespoon of butter away from a recipe scares me to death.
This recipe comes Martha Stewart. Then again, what doesn’t come from Martha?
The pictures are from a wonderful blog, Smitten Kitchen. They’ve got mad skills when it comes to photographing their cooking experiences. You don’t want to see the pictures I’ve tried taking while cooking. Trust me.
I have the recipe listed with the original measurements, and also for the recipe halved (in bold).
I don’t know why you would want to do that though?
Here we go.
Serves 12 or Serves 6
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for casserole-4 T ½ stick
6 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to l/2-inch pieces-3 slices
5 1/2 cups milk-2 ¾ cups
1/2 cup all-purpose flour-1/4 cup
2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for water-1 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg-Half of ¼
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper-Half of ¼
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper-Half of ¼
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese-2 ¼ cups
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or Swiss Cheese-1 cup
1 pound elbow macaroni-1/2 pound
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place the bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 (1) tablespoons butter. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside.
2. Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the remaining 6 (3) tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
3. 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, 8 to 12 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups (1 ½) cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 (¾ cup) Gruyère or swiss; set the cheese sauce aside.
5. 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, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir the macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 ½ (¾) cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 (¼) cup Gruyère or swiss, and the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes (though we needed a bit more time to get it brown, but your oven may vary). Transfer the dish to a wire rack for 5 minutes; serve.
If you need any taste testers please email me. I am serious.
I don’t even charge for my services.
Happy Cheesy Friday =)