Macaroni & Cheese

If I had to pick a last meal this just might be it.  Either this or the #14 at Urban Belly.  (Completely, utterly, totally different than this, but it is outstanding.  If you live in Chicago you have to go there.)  I think if I was the type of person who could eat whatever I wanted I would indulge in Macaroni & Cheese every other day or so.  Like just a normal lunch on a Tuesday.  And I am certainly not the dieting type, but this is quite indulgent with the pound and a half of cheese and almost 6 cups of milk, but look at it this way, you are getting your calcium intake for the day, or at least a large portion of it, right?  

I remember as a kid requesting macaroni & cheese as lunch coming home from kindergarten.  Funny how even at such a young age I took such pleasure in eating.  It was the blue box that I'm sure you enjoyed as well.  Which even after my love for this much more gourmet macaroni & cheese, I do still have fond memories of the blue box.  Granted you have to look past the fact that the cheese comes in powder form, but it is undeniably good.  I was in a phase for a while when Johnny and I would make it as a side dish for dinner (because that's way more grown-up, right?) and was certain that he made it better than even the blue box inventors could even imagine it to be.  I had it once last year and realized that it was better in my memory than in reality, although I certainly won't pretend that I won't have it again at some point, for memory sake, you know?

Carbs and cheese in any form, what's not to love?  I love pretty much all of it.  Plain pasta with just some olive oil and parmesan, a good, crunchy baguette with some aged gouda.  I could go on and on, but at the risk of having carbs and cheese for dinner tonight I'm going to have to stop there.  So, being a carbs and cheese lover and my absolute love and obsession for mac 'n cheese I think that I would describe myself as a macaroni & cheese connoisseur.  I've tried it at several restaurants and most don't even come close to this recipe.  I'm more of a fan of the creamy types than the stringy cheesy ones.  (And no, I'm not talking about Velveeta.)  I want the cheese flavor without the goopy stringiness of the cheese.  And I want a traditional macaroni & cheese.  One with cheddar as the main ingredient, no Velveeta and no blue cheese or bacon or peas (and I am not even going to bring up the subject of hot dogs).  Just mac 'n cheese.  It's not called mac 'n meat n cheese.  Or mac 'n cheese & veggies.  It's called MAC 'n CHEESE. Which is also precisely the reason why it should be made with MACARONI!  Not penne, not shells, macaroni!  I don't know how some people got so off track?  Well, I will tell you who didn't, Martha Stewart, whom this recipe comes from.  

I'm kind of embarrassed to say that this is the only macaroni & cheese that I have ever made.  I've seen several others but always have that hesitancy of knowing that it just won't be as good as this one and why would I waste my time, good ingredients and calories on one that isn't the absolute best!  And I'm certainly not the only one who thinks so.  I made it for many fellow Midwesterners (we definitely know good macaroni & cheese as it is on nearly every menu here in Chicago) and many have claimed it the best.  Also, my sisters who are big carbs and cheese fans, perhaps even more than me, claim it as the best too.  And if you don't agree with me, agree with Martha, this is her most requested recipe!

You can try the adult approach and serve this as a side dish.  As I googled recipes for side dishes to go with this, many came up with the statement that macaroni & cheese itself is a side dish, not a main dish.  I vehemently disagree.  Why can fettuccine alfredo be a main dish and this can't be?  If this was my side dish then the main dish would be ignored, so I figure if you are going to do it, then do it.  I would certainly recommend keeping your sides on the lighter and healthier side to balance out the richness of the dish.  I made some roasted tomatoes, which were delicious on their own, and as I have seen many recipes for macaroni & cheese with tomatoes on top of the macaroni, I thought that they would go well with this and they did.  I also served crudites with white bean dip as an appetizer and just a simple green salad to start the meal with.  But regardless what you make it with; you know what everyone really cares about.  The macaroni & cheese will be the star of the show so serve it with whatever, just save the hot dogs for the summer.  

Trish's Tips: The macaroni must be cooked very underdone.  The time will vary based on what brand you buy but anywhere from 2-5 minutes.  Try it before draining the water.  It shouldn't be crunchy, but should be much more underdone than al dente or anything you would consider eating.  It will cook in the oven and if it is perfectly cooked coming out of the water it will be mushy by the time it comes out of the oven.  You could make this in advance and refrigerate it, but it would be slightly less creamy.  The original recipe calls for whole milk, but I have always used skim and it has been fine.  Fresh bread crumbs will also give you the perfect crunchy topping and store bought just won't do.  I bought a mini baguette and ground up in the food processor, but if you already buy sliced white bread that will work too.  The leftovers are certainly delicious but do lose the creamy consistency.  

Macaroni & Cheese

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Serves 12 as a side dish or 6-8 as a main course

Ingredients:

6 TBL unsalted butter, plus more for buttering dish

6 slices white bread or one mini-baguette cut into cubes and ground in food-processor.  Makes about 1 1/2 cups

5 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp salt, plus more for water

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

4 1/2 Cups (18 oz) grated sharp white cheddar 

2 Cups (8 oz) grated gruyere cheese

1 lb elbow macaroni

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside.  Melt 1 TBL butter and pour over breadcrumbs in a medium sized bowl.  Toss to coat and set aside.  

Cover a large pot of water and bring to a boil.  Add plenty of salt and when dissolved, add macaroni.  Cook 2 to 4 minutes or until no longer crunchy, but not yet al dente.  Drain and rinse under cold water.  Set aside.  

Mix cheeses together and then remove 2 cups for topping.  Separate into two bowls, cheeses for sauce and cheeses for topping.  

Warm milk in a saucepan over medium heat.  Melt remaining butter (5 TBL) in the same pot you used to cook the macaroni.  When butter bubbles, add flour and cook, while stirring with a whisk for 1 minute.  

While whisking, add warm milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth.  Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until mixture bubbles and thickens.  It should coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 8 to 12 minutes.  

Remove pan from heat.  Stir in salt, nutmeg, peppers, and cheese for sauce (not including cheese reserved for topping).  Stir until cheese is fully melted and it is one creamy mixture putting the pan over low heat if you are unable to melt it without heat.  

Pour mixture into prepared dish.  Sprinkle remaining cheese for topping and bread crumbs over top.  Bake until golden, about 30 minutes.  Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.