Mac-n'-Cheese: Yum!

[3113]

The weather's changing and it's time for that heart-attack's delight, cholesterol's BFF...Mac-n-Cheese

I did not grow up with macaroni and cheese; it was, in fact, a dish never served in my household. I was introduced to its artery clogging deliciousness in adulthood. This leaves me with no family recipe for it I'd love to have a great Mac-n-Cheese dish to make at home, something really, really good. My only preference is for big, hearty macaroni noodles--closer to rigatoni or that shell-shaped pasta. Those packages of small macaroni just don't seem right to me.

Recipes? Tips? Musings? Memories?

 

[TheeGoatPig]

We use rotini(?) at my house. I don't make it myself though, so I don't have any tips as to ingedients of cooking of said stuffs...

But it is one of my favorite dishes ever. I can eat heaping plates of it, even as a leftover.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

MMmmm I ADORE M&C!!

My mom used to make it... really thick... my MIL makes it thin, and I actually like that better... but I have found the BEST M&C recipe ever...

from Martha Stewart!!

This is TO DIE FOR...

mmm I'm drooling now... where's the drooling smiley!?


Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe By: Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, (1 stick) plus more for dish
6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn sm. 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 GruyËre cheese, (about 8 ounces)
22 oz. elbow macaroni

Directions:
Heat the oven to 375°. 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 the bowl with bread, and toss. Set bread crumbs 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 Gruyère 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 Gruyère or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and bread crumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes; serve hot.

 

[inlovewithyourghost]

The only thing I have to add here is that...
(I am NOT making this up!)
...i ate a pound and a half of Mac n Cheese this morning...
*sheepish grin*

 

[jomar]

With Velveeta! Great comfort food, though perhaps not nutritionally comforting.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

With Velveeta! Great comfort food, though perhaps not nutritionally comforting.

that's how my mom made it... good ol' Velveeta!

 

[jomar]

that's how my mom made it... good ol' Velveeta!

My kids love it, though they're mac-n-cheese adventurous.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

My kids love it, though they're mac-n-cheese adventurous.

Mine hate homemade. :x They like Kraft.

 

[English Lady]

I've only ever had macaroni cheese from a tin, but it is lovely and comforting.

I'd only be able to make enough for me, my hubs is alergic tocheese and my daughter doesn't like it!

 

[Weird Harold]

Mine hate homemade. :x They like Kraft.

Can't say as I blame them. Kraft brand Mac & Cheese is in a class by itself. Velveeta brand Shells and Cheese is a close second.

Almost any homemade Mac&cheese recipe is better with real Extra Sharp Cheddar -- none of that artificially flavored pasturized cheese product in my homemade mac & cheese.

 

[buxxxom]

I did not grow up with macaroni and cheese; it was, in fact, a dish never served in my household.

The blue box kind is a staple at our house. It's something the kids can make without too much trouble. Homemade mac and cheese is a treat, and is the only kind I'll eat anymore.

Don't have a recipe, just go with what looks right. Boil water, add salt and a box of macaroni. Cook until almost tender, then let sit for a minute or two. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water for later. While that's going, make a roux from butter and flour, add milk and grated cheese of whatever kind you like to make it as cheesy as you like, then add a dash or two of whatever hot sauce you have on hand. Combine roux and cooked noodles, thin a little if needed with leftover pasta water, pour into greased baking dish, top with more grated cheese or bread crumbs and bake at 350 until browned and bubbly.

 

[trysail]

Recipes? Tips? Musings? Memories?

What a hoot!

I, too, was one of those horribly deprived children that was never exposed to the delights of "mac and cheese." Fortunately, as a young adult on a long and arduous canoe trip through the wilds of Canada's Boundary Waters, I was introduced to this magnificent fuel for my boiler.

Recipes? You are kidding, right?

Recipe #1. Open Nestlé's Stouffer box. Place in microwave, set time for precisely 6 minutes, 10 seconds. Wander off. Return at the beep. Stuff face.

Recipe #2. This requires an enormous expenditure of effort and energy. Open Kraft Deluxe "Original" Macaroni and Cheese box. Dump macaroni in pot containing boiling water. Stir macaroni a bit so that it doesn't clump up. Wander off. Return in 8 minutes. Strain macaroni. Squeeze cheese into bottom of pot. Dump macaroni. Mix macaroni and cheese heartily. Dump on plate. Cover with freshly ground pepper. Stuff face.


Cordon Bleu has nothing to worry about from me!

 

[kendra084]

LMAO

in recipe #2 ... what about fishing the cheeze package out of the boiling water ?

 

[trysail]

LMAO

in recipe #2 ... what about fishing the cheeze package out of the boiling water ?

God damn!!!!

No wonder there's been a strange alumin(i)um taste all these years!

 

[tolyk]

My girlfriend makes really incredible Mac & Cheese, I'll weasel her recipe out of her later.. When she made it for me, only a few months back, it was the first time I'd ever tried home made.. I've only ever known Kraft (and knock-off versions)

 

[Emperor_Nero]

My oldest daughter went on a kick a couple of years ago about homemade mac & cheese and we tried about a dozen recipes. This was our absolute favorite ... both delicious and simple. Best advice on the cheddar is use the sharpest you can find mmmmmmm. Always make a double batch

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne
2 1/2 cups grated Cheddar (about 6 ounces)
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Drain well.

Melt the remaining 5 tablespoons butter in a heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, and stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, being careful not to let the flour brown. Using a whisk, add the milk in a steady stream and cook, whisking constantly, until thick and smooth, 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, and 2 cups of the cheese, and stir well. Add the noodles and stir well. Pour into the prepared dish.

In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese with the bread crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the macaroni and bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving

 

[jomar]

Mine hate homemade. :x They like Kraft.

Well, they do draw the line at homemade.

 

[SexyPixie]

My girlfriend makes really incredible Mac & Cheese, I'll weasel her recipe out of her later.. When she made it for me, only a few months back, it was the first time I'd ever tried home made.. I've only ever known Kraft (and knock-off versions)

Ok so my recipe is very similar, to others on here already
This is for one serving

Melt about 1 tbsp. butter, and cook a small handful of chopped onion in it
Add flour,
Add about 1/3 cup milk, and cheese to taste. I like cheddar and pecerino reggiano
Boils until it thickens,
Mix with a couple handfuls of cooked pasta
I use a french onion soup bowl to bake it in with bread crumbs mixed with butter and more cheddar sprinkled on top, broiled until the top cheese is crispy

 

[3113]

Ok so my recipe is very similar, to others on here already
This is for one serving

Oh, one serving! Now there's a concept. All I've ever heard about m&c is that you have to make a big baking dish of it. But one serving that you can make anytime...and don't have to share

These really look terrific folks! Thanks! And keep 'em coming.

 

[kendra084]

God damn!!!!

No wonder there's been a strange alumin(i)um taste all these years!

now yaknow !!

 

[English Lady]

Ok so my recipe is very similar, to others on here already
This is for one serving

Melt about 1 tbsp. butter, and cook a small handful of chopped onion in it
Add flour,
Add about 1/3 cup milk, and cheese to taste. I like cheddar and pecerino reggiano
Boils until it thickens,
Mix with a couple handfuls of cooked pasta
I use a french onion soup bowl to bake it in with bread crumbs mixed with butter and more cheddar sprinkled on top, broiled until the top cheese is crispy

Thank you, I needed a recipe for one or I'd end up eating enough for a herd in one sitting *LOL* I might give this a go later

 

[tolyk]

Thank you, I needed a recipe for one or I'd end up eating enough for a herd in one sitting *LOL* I might give this a go later

Isn't she great? *sighs dreamily*

 

[SeaCat]

My mother always made it with a fifty-fifty mix of Sharp Cheddar and Swiss then added a couple of handfuls of crumbled Bacon.

Cat

 

[English Lady]

Ok so my recipe is very similar, to others on here already
This is for one serving

Melt about 1 tbsp. butter, and cook a small handful of chopped onion in it
Add flour,
Add about 1/3 cup milk, and cheese to taste. I like cheddar and pecerino reggiano
Boils until it thickens,
Mix with a couple handfuls of cooked pasta
I use a french onion soup bowl to bake it in with bread crumbs mixed with butter and more cheddar sprinkled on top, broiled until the top cheese is crispy

Oh boy, I just had this for my lunch and I am now seriously full! It was goooooooooooooooooooooooood. Oh yeah.

 

[3113]

Oh boy, I just had this for my lunch and I am now seriously full! It was goooooooooooooooooooooooood. Oh yeah.

Very kind of you to test it out on yourself for all of us