Macaroni and Cheese
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Macaroni and Cheese
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This dish is, of course, all – or mostly – about the cheese. A good cheddar is wonderful, but it’s nice to mix up a sharp cheese with another that’s nutty and slightly creamy, such as Jarlsberg, Comté or Gruyère, in whatever proportion you like.
I cook the sauce in the same pan that I made the pasta in to save on clean up. I seasoned this with dry mustard powder and thyme. The mustard gives a bit of depth to the sauce and the fresh thyme adds a pleasant herbal note in the background. But you can omit them if you’d like.
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Ingredients
For the pasta and cheese sauce
- 3/4 pound (340g) uncooked pasta
- 5 tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons (60g) all-purpose flour
- 4 cups (1L) whole milk warm
- 1 pound (450g, about 6 cups) grated cheese
- 1/2 cup (45g) grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 1-2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or red pepper powder
For the topping
- 1 1/2 cups (190g) breadcrumbs
- 4 tablespoons (60g) melted butter salted or unsalted
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Butter a wide 2 1/2 to 3-quart (3l) baking dish.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of lightly salted water until tender, and drain well. When cool, spread the pasta in the baking dish.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC.)
- Wipe the pasta pot dry and melt the 5 tablespoons (70g) butter in it over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Dribble in some of the warm milk, stirring continuously; you can use a whisk, which will help break up lumps, or use a spatula, stirring briskly.
- Continue to add the milk, a small amount at a time while stirring, until all the milk is added. Cook the milk until it comes to a low boil, stirring constantly, then cook the mixture for 3 minutes, until it thickens.
- Remove from heat and stir the grated cheese, Parmesan, mustard, thyme, and cayenne. (Depending on the cheese, you may wish to season the mixture with a bit of salt.) Pour the mixture over the pasta in the baking dish and stir it to combine. When finished, make sure it’s in an even layer in the dish.
- Make the topping by mixing together the breadcrumbs, melted butter, and parsley, then strew the crumbs over the top.
- Bake the macaroni and cheese for 25 minutes, or until the topping is nicely browned.
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