Gourmet Magazine’s Mac ‘n’ Cheese, circa 2007
I subscribed to Gourmet for years (and many, many years ago), and back then, I found their recipes far too complex for me. Interestingly though, I’ve never had one bomb. Today’s carry-in dish to my Mother and Stepfather’s Christmas luncheon was no exception. I found this recipe on Epicurious. Not sure if you ever browse this website, but it’s my absolute favorite for recipe searches. The original recipe calls for baking these in individual ramekins for kids, and pour the rest into a casserole dish and bake for the adults. I baked mine in one huge ramekin! It turned out just fine…so delicious. I should note that I shred my own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese has a waxiness to it that I find doesn’t melt or blend as well as freshly shredded cheese.
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- 2 cups panko (coarse Japanese bread crumbs) or 3 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (from 6 slices firm white sandwich bread) (I used panko…because first, I love Panko, and second, it gets crunchier in the 20 minute baking time than bread would)
- 1/4 pound coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (original recipe calls for Parmigiano-Reggiano…but that stuff is quite expensive in Indiana)
For macaroni and sauce
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 5 cups whole milk
- 1 pound coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (6 cups)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (again, I just shredded my own Parmesan)
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
Make topping:
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.
Melt butter, then stir together with panko and topping cheeses in a bowl until combined well.
Make sauce:
Melt butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat and stir in flour. Cook roux, stirring, 3 minutes, then whisk in milk. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking constantly, then simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes. Stir in cheeses, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until smooth. Remove from heat and cover surface of sauce with wax paper.
Make Macaroni:
Cook macaroni in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 4 quarts water) until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water and drain macaroni in a colander. Stir together macaroni, reserved cooking water, and sauce in a large bowl. Transfer to 2 buttered 2-quart shallow baking dishes.
Sprinkle topping evenly over macaroni and bake until golden and bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cooks’ notes: · Topping can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
· Half of dish can be baked in 10 (6- to 8-ounce) ramekins for children (with remaining half baked in a 2-quart baking dish for adults).