Perfect Macaroni and Cheese How-To You can easily divide this recipe in half; use a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish if you do. Serves 12 6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish 5 1/2 cups milk 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar 2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano 1 pound elbow macaroni 1.
Remove the sauce from the hob, add 175g/6oz of the cheese and stir until it is well combined and melted. Add the macaroni to the sauce and mix well. Transfer to a deep suitably-sized ovenproof dish. In fact, one of the easiest mistakes when making macaroni and cheese is using the wrong kind of pasta. We suggest steering clear of long, thin, perfect-for-twirling varieties like spaghetti, fettuccini, and linguini. Go back to your childhood with our best from-scratch macaroni and cheese recipes. Baked macaroni and cheese doesn’t have to be complicated with layers of ingredients to be the soul-warming food you crave. This homemade baked macaroni and cheese is my most favorite and has pleased crowds, small families, kids and picky eaters alike–give it a try and you’ll see why. The cheese sauce recipe is great but I made it divine by melting some bleu cheese and a little cream cheese into the cheese sauce. I substituted heavy cream with half and half, and used skim milk.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss.
Set the 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, stirring, 1 minute. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick. Remove the pan from the heat. Retro virtual machine. Lexmark x8350 printer driver download.
Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, 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 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.
Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve. A Little Back Story Did you know that Thomas Jefferson, purportedly a great lover of both cheese and Italian food, served his baked macaroni and cheese at dinner parties all the time? During the age of European colonization, seafaring men would transport dried macarone -- one of the few staples that could survive a year aboard ship -- from Italy to Britain and to the American colonies.