Mac ’n’ cheese had its 15 minutes of retro fame a few years ago, said Betty Hallock in the Los Angeles Times. It was “a veritable mac ’n’ cheese renaissance.” Every trendy restaurant in town was serving up a version. Some added lobster (“no thanks”), or even seared tuna on top (“yes, it’s true”), or used an esoteric cheese (“cheddar will do”).
Don’t fall for any of those gimmicks, or for fancy names such as “Killer
Mac ’n’ Cheese,” either. What you want is not mac ’n’ cheese filled
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with crab, bacon, or scallions, or made with smoked Gouda. You want mac ’n’ cheese that tastes like mac ’n’ cheese—the old-fashioned, good old American kind. “Eightysix the crab.”
Recipe of the week
Really the Best-Ever Mac ’n’ Cheese
Note: Use large shells such as chiocciole or conchiglie, or large elbow macaroni.
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp melted butter
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup flour
5 cups milk
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
4 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese, divided
3 cups shredded Swiss Gruyère cheese
1 lb shells or elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions in
salted water
1/2 cup heavy cream
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the panko bread crumbs with melted butter on a small baking pan. Toast the bread crumbs until lightly browned,
about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a large saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat until melted, then stir in the flour. Heat and stir until the mixture is smooth and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the milk. Add the dry mustard, white and cayenne pepper, nutmeg, salt, and bay leaf. Heat and stir to boiling, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook 30 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaf.
Stir in 3 cups of the cheddar and all the Gruyère until melted. Pour the sauce over the cooked macaroni in a large bowl, stirring until all of the
macaroni is coated. Pour the macaroni into a well-buttered 9-by-13-inch casserole. Drizzle heavy cream around the edges of the casserole. Sprinkle on it the remaining 1 cup cheddar, then the toasted bread crumbs.
Cover the casserole with aluminum foil. Bake 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered an additional 10 minutes. Put under a preheated broiler for 5 minutes. Serves 16.
