mac n cheese

I made several batches of macaroni cheese this holiday season.

I always make some for thanksgiving. the boys love it!

my son loves it so much that he volunteered to bring it to his class christmas party.

family and friends have asked for the recipe so I decided to share it here.

 

I got the recipe about 11 years ago from the Martha Stewart Magazine.

 

 

to start  you will need to warm 5 1/2 cups of milk

the recipe calls for you to warm in a separate pot but I just warm it in a big measuring cup in the microwave, it works.

 

in a separate pot cook 1lb. of macaroni according to package directions, cook 2-3 minutes less

(don’t overcook your macaroni or your dish will become soggy)

 

in a high sided skillet on medium heat, melt 6 tablespoons of butter

then add 1/2 cup of flour, mix until the flour is cooked and slightly browned.

 

once the butter and flour are ready you will slowly whisk in some of the milk, and stir

your pot should look like this

 

 

continue whisking and add the milk little by little, the milk and flour will clump like this, don’t worry.

 

 

just continue adding the milk and whisking.

continue cooking and whisking  constantly until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick

you will need to whisk for about 10-15 minutes

once it is thickened, turn off the heat

add 1/4  tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. pepper, 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more depending on your taste)

and 2 tsp. salt  and mix in

 

then you are ready to add the cheese

you will add  3 cups  shredded white sharp cheddar cheese, I like to use the cabot vintage sharp but any white cheddar will do

and 1 1/2 cups of shredded gruyere cheese, this cheese gives the dish some bite.

 

stir the mixture until the cheese has melted

 

add the macaroni to the cheese mixture and stir until well combined

 

pour the mixture into your dish

top with the remaining 1 1/2 cups od cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup gruyere

top with bread crumbs and 2 tbsp. of melted butter.

for the bread crumbs I like to use sourdough,

I just put 6 slices of bread (with or without the crusts, my family like the cruchy crusts) in the food processor and pulse

 

bake at 375* for 30 minutes or until the dish is bubbling and the crust is browned.

I like to serve it with a spinach and greens salad and Dijon vinaigrette, delish!

 

I hope you enjoy this yummy dish as much as we do.