Macaroni & Cheese

November 06, 2013

Macaroni & Cheese

There are not very many comfort foods that rank higher that good homemade Macaroni & Cheese. I am not talking about over the top macaroni and cheese either (i.e. with truffle butter, mushrooms, bacon---although all good). I am talking about elbow macaroni, cheese sauce, and shredded cheese put together in a casserole dish and baked to a golden perfection. As a connoisseur of Macaroni and Cheese, I think that this recipe ranks near the top of the pile! I hope you enjoy!

Macaroni & Cheese

Prep Time: 15 to 20 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour

Difficulty: Easy Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

8 oz. bag dried elbow macaroni
8 oz. bar Vermont white sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I use Cracker Barrel or Cabot)
8 oz. bar extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I use Kraft)
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour (all-purpose or self-rising)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground black pepper, more for desired taste
1/3 teaspoon Kosher salt, more for desired taste
8 oz. bag shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 2 quart casserole dish and set aside.

Shred the two bars of cheddar cheese using the large holes on a box grater.

In a large Dutch oven, boil the elbow macaroni per the package instructions to just under the al dente stage. Drain the macaroni and return to Dutch oven. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring the milk to just under the simmer point and turn off the heat. In a medium saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour, making sure that the flour is combined with the butter. Cook the flour mixture at least a minute or two. Pour the hot milk into the pan with the flour mixture constantly stirring until thickened. Take 3 heaping teaspoons of the thickened mixture to the bowl with the beaten egg and beat together. Add the beaten egg mixture back to the pot and whisk to make it a homogenous mixture. Now add the shredded white cheddar cheese and extra sharp cheddar cheeses to the saucepan until well mixed. Remove the pan from the heat. When mixed, add nutmeg, black pepper and salt to the mixture.

Add 1/2 of the shredded cheese in a bag to the mixture and place entire mixture in buttered casserole dish. Make sure to taste this mixture at this point for seasoning. (THIS IS AN IMPORTANT STEP!) Top with remaining shredded cheese and bake 25 to 30 minutes until golden and bubbly. Serve warm.