Sunday, February 10, 2008

Day #10


Day #10 of What I Love: Macaroni & Cheese

Macaroni & Cheese could quite possibly be my favorite foods. Even though macaroni is not the best food for you, every once in awhile it's nice to indulge. Here is a very yummy recipe, I think the best, and of course the recipe is from no other than Martha Stewart.

Macaroni & Cheese
Martha Stewart

Serves 12
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
6 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

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.
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.
While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
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.
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
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.

Laura


4 comments:

Unknown said...

Yum - I love Mac & Cheese too. Will give this one a try. Another Laura Recipe to add to my collection!

My Paper World said...

Mmmmmmm! delicious!

Petra said...

This looks great! Thanks for sharing your recipes! And congrats on winning with your card design - it's very, very cute!
Next weekend we're going to Mammoth for some cross country skiing, so hopefully I'll get to post some cold weather food, too :)

Stampin' Meg said...

Oh my goodness- that looks sooo good- I am so totally going to print up this recipe and make this. Thank you!

 
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