Baked macaroni and cheese

We’ve all had bad homemade macaroni and cheese. Even at restaurants, I am often shocked at how poorly this dish is executed. This is a true treat, and something this indulgent had better be delicious. Mac & cheese is my comfort food of choice so I have tried many recipes. This is the fully evolved specimen, incorporating all of my family’s favorite qualities.  It isn’t difficult, but requires some patience. And if you stock up on cheese when it hits its lowest price, this can be quite frugal as well.

Don’t be afraid to stock up on cheese

Cheese in the store usually has a best by date that is months out. So when it goes on sale for around a dollar, I stock up. I buy mostly sharp cheddar, but Monterey Jack and mozzarella are also pretty useful. Since I am stocked up, whenever I decide to make something like this that requires a pound of cheese, I don’t have to run out and pay whatever the grocery store is asking for for cheese. The rest of this stuff is really cheap. Milk is $1.99 at Dominick’s and Tony’s this week, eggs are $.99 a dozen at Caputo’s. Butter is $1.79 for a pound at Tony’s. Butter is also something you can stock up on. I usually have about four pounds of unsalted butter in my fridge. The two packages I bought the other day at Tony’s had January dates, so we have plenty of time to use it. Panko is normally pretty cheap at market-type stores, but the box pictured was net free after coupons and Catalina at Jewel a while back. Then we just have flour, spices, and a box of macaroni. This box was free, but that was a while ago. Lately, I’ve been buying pasta if I can get it for around 30 cents.

The homemade part

First, grate a pound of sharp cheddar, setting four ounces aside. You can use shredded, but I don’t recommend it. I think the anti-caking agents interfere with proper melting. Plus, do you really want to eat anti-caking agents? Also grate four ounces of Monterey Jack. You’ll need four tablespoons of unsalted butter for the sauce, another for the topping, and one more for the dish. Measure 2 ½ cups of milk and allow it to come to room temperature. Stir two teaspoons of dry mustard into the milk. I am actually using 2% milk here. It works fine, but if I were making this to impress people, I’d probably use whole. Lightly beat an egg in a small bowl. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook a box of elbow macaroni a few minutes shorter than to al dente, about six minutes, then drain and set aside. Butter a 13″×9″ baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350°.

Melt four tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then sprinkle in ¼ cup flour, whisking constantly. Cook it this way for 3-4 minutes, until it is smooth and light golden. You don’t want it to get too dark. A lighter roux actually has more power to thicken than a darker one.

Slowly pour in the milk plus mustard, whisking constantly. How quickly it thickens never ceases to amaze me. Once it is all incorporated, reduce the heat to medium low cook it another five minutes, whisking frequently, until it is nice and thick.

Take ¼ cup of the sauce and very slowly pour into the beaten egg, stirring constantly. You want to be very careful not to end up with scrambled eggs.

Pour the egg mixture slowly into the sauce, again whisking constantly. This egg trick is what gives it the texture that I adore.

Whisk in your salt and seasonings. This is totally up to your flavor preferences. I used ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon seasoned salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and a teaspoon of Old World seasoning from Penzey’s. You can use garlic powder, dry thyme, paprika, cayenne. You can also use a few drops of hot pepper sauce, which I usually do but apparently forgot this time. So yeah, do that. It doesn’t make it spicy, just wakes up the flavors and breaks up the richness a bit.

Add the Monterey Jack and stir to melt. Adding this soft cheese first does something magical to the sauce, keeping it really creamy.

Add the cheddar, a handful at a time.

Stir to melt until it is all incorporated. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Return the macaroni to the pot and pour the sauce over it. Stir to coat all of the noodles.

Pour the macaroni mixture into the prepared dish. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a small bowl. I added a ¼ teaspoon each of seasoned salt and Old World seasoning, so season with a bit of what you used for the sauce. Add ½ cup panko bread crumbs and stir to distribute the butter.

Sprinkle the reserved cheddar, then the panko mixture evenly over the macaroni. Bake at 350° for about 25 minutes. If desired, turn the broiler on for a few minutes at the end to get a little more browning on the cheese.

We had it with some simply brined and broiled chicken and sauteed kale. Our family of three had a quarter of the dish. I let the remainder cool then cut and froze it in three equal pieces. This reheats surprisingly well. I just thaw, bake for 30 minutes at 350°, covered for the first 20 minutes, then uncovered for the final ten.