It's the Cheesiest (and we're not talking about the post)

What is it about macaroni and cheese? Is it the fact that it's a dish that makes eating crazy amounts of cheese acceptable? Is it the fact that most of us have some memory from our childhood of eating the bright yellow boxed mac and cheese? We don’t know. What we do know: macaroni and cheese is definitely one of our top comfort foods. The recipe that we’re sharing is fairly basic, but can be modified to suit your individual taste (see below notes).

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Topping:

1/4 stick of melted butter
1 cup of Panko bread crumbs
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan

Mix all the ingredients together and put to the side.

Macaroni and cheese sauce:

1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/2 lb. tube pasta (elbows, ziti, rigatoni, shells, you get the picture)
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup pasta cooking water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Melt butter, and whisk in flour. Continue whisking for 3 minutes. Add milk to the butter/flour mixture, whisking continuously until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 3 minutes, whisking periodically. Add cheeses to the sauce, and whisk until cheese is incorporated, and mixture is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste, and remove cheese sauce from heat. Cover sauce with wax paper.

Cook the pasta to al dente, and strain (don’t forget to keep 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid).

Mix the reserved liquid, wine, pasta, and cheese sauce together.

Pour mixture into a greased 8 x 8 casserole dish, and top evenly with the crumb topping.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes (until the cheese is bubbly and the crust has turned a nice shade of brown).

Let your mac and cheese cool a couple of minutes before you dig in. This allows the cheese to set up a bit, and also helps to prevent 3rd-degree cheese burns on the roof of your mouth.

Notes:

- Change up your cheeses, try some gouda (aged Gouda would work really well here). Try out some blue cheese, or some pepper jack. The milder the cheese, the less you will taste it in the final dish. Because of this, we recommend using a stronger flavored cheese.

- If panko isn’t available where you live, you can use regular breadcrumbs. We have also used herbed stuffing mix instead of the panko.

- Add some chopped onions, leeks, or even fennel to the roux while it’s cooking. This can give some interesting flavor to your dish.

- Add some herbs and spices into your sauce, along with your salt and pepper (we added a small pinch of nutmeg).

- If you don’t cook with wine, use ½ cup of your pasta cooking water.

- Your mixture will look a bit runny, but, as it cooks, it will thicken up. It’ll also retain some creaminess when re-heated (if it’s not gone in the first sitting).

- If you’re not crazy about the crumb crust, leave it off. Mix your macaroni and your cheese sauce together, throw a handful of shredded cheese on top of the dish, and bake as directed.

- If you want more substance to your mac and cheese, add in some chunks of meat, or shellfish if you want to get really fancy. Your meat and shellfish should be precooked. If you’re a vegetarian, add in some cauliflower, or squash (butternut, or pumpkin). Parboil your veggies beforehand, to make sure they’re not still raw when the dish comes out of the oven. Whether you add in meat, fish, or veggies, do it at the end, when you’re mixing the pasta and the sauce together.