Saturday, May 2, 2009

Homemade Mac & Cheese



I'm not positive, but I think this might be the recipe Andrea uses for her homemade mac and cheese. So I should probably let her post it, but I made it last week and wanted to put it on here before I forget and wonder why I have these pictures in my photo library. I also halve this recipe if its just us, but its great for a big crowd as well. I think this is the one Mom feeds the missionaries.

Homemade Mac & Cheese
 (feelin' lazy so I just pasted it right from the website where its found!)



Serves 12
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
  • 6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
  • 5 1/2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • 4 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 18 ounces)
  • 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces) or 1 1/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 5 ounces)
  • 1 pound elbow macaroni

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set breadcrumbs aside.
  2. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute.
  3. While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
  4. Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup Pecorino Romano; set cheese sauce aside.
  5. Fill a large saucepan with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce
  6. Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and breadcrumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes; serve hot.

8 comments:

  1. How funny is that!! I love Mike, he works with my husband at viewmont and is always so nice when I corner him in his office and ask a billion photo questions. I am using a nikon
    d40x which I love but I am hoping to beable to upgrade to the d2 once I have saved up enough.

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  2. Cool. Sounds good. Mom made us Andrea's recipe and I don't remember bread crusts being in there... Maybe it's a different recipe.

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  3. The bread is just on top...its optional really, but I love it! Bring on all the carbs! :)

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  4. yes! I've been looking for a good homemade mac and cheese recipe! This looks great!

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  5. This is definitely Andrea's recipe and I have now made it at least 6 times. It is a bit hit here in the South where Mac and Cheese reign supreme! I have not tried the bread crumbs on top but it would be yummy!

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  6. Shauna just made this for us last night. It was DELICIOUS! We had the bread on top and it was great!

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  7. Love this recipe too. The special cheeses can be pricey, but worth it when we splurge!

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  8. We made this last night for my family for the first time, it was a huge hit. We used half white cheddar/half regular orange US cheddar to cut down on the cost and used Pecorino Romano instead of Gruyere as well. It was delicious.

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