I know there are lot of recipes here for this old favourite but I just found an English one from 1390 which somewhat surprised me,
Take and make a thynne foyle of dowh, and kerve it on pieces, and cast hem on boilling water & seep it wele; take chese and grate it and butter cast hynethen and above as losyns and serve forth.
Take and make a thin foil of dough and slice it into pieces, and put them in boiling water and cook it well; Take grated cheese and butter and layer above as lasagne and serve forth.
The best mac ‘n’ cheese is a quart of bechamel with a whole block of Velveeta, a small wedge of bleu cheese, a teaspoon of mustard powder, a half teaspoon of nutmeg, a half teaspoon of black pepper, and a teaspoon of garlic powder. Add a half pound of sharp cheddar when you mix it with the cavatappi (best mac pasta by far), cover the top with another half pound of sharp cheddar. Bake at 400° until the top is golden brown.
I had a really good bowl of lobster mac at a local pub last week. It actually tasted like lobster and had nice tender chunks mixed in. They used lobster stock for the sauce, and a cheese that didn’t overpower it. I’ll be going back.
Last week I made Eric Kim’s mac-n-cheese recipe from the New York Times that purports to mimic Stouffers. I wouldn’t know as I don’t think I’ve ever had Stouffers, but the result was a basic, comforting, and delicious dish. The recipe includes Velveeta, which I vaguely realize is there for the sodium citrate and the creamy texture it imparts; a nice extra-sharp cheddar provided most of the cheese flavor.
The only deviation I made from the recipe was to add a good slug of Forward, which is a Penzey’s spice mix. Theoretically, I don’t believe in commercial spice mixes, but I receive a Penzey’s gift box with a sample jar, and damn, that stuff is good. It’s basically a strong ground black pepper with some onion powder and maybe paprika, I forget. Anyway, it is an excellent mac-n-cheese seasoning.
I do a copycat recipe of the famous mac & cheese from the Clarkston Union, a restaurant in Clarkston, Michigan. Their M&C was featured on an episode of ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’. Whenever I make it when friends and family are over it’s a huge hit.
Have about 2 cups of milk and one cup of heavy cream heating in a pan on the stove, but not to boiling.
Sauté finely diced onion and garlic in 4 tablespoons of butter. Add 4 tablespoons of flour, give or take, to make a roux. Slowly mix in the hot milk / cream mixture. Add a 1/4 to a 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Mix in about 2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese.
You’re supposed to let the mixture cool, but I don’t know how much that matters. Anyway, in the meantime, boil penne noodles to al dente or even a little before al dente, since they will cook more in the oven. Drain and mix the noodles with the sauce.
Now, in a large pan, add half the noodle / sauce mix, and layer with cheese on top. What kinds of cheese is where I change it up each time. On the DD&D show they used a mix of Pinconning and aged white cheddar. Add the second layer of the noodle mix and more cheese on top, then finally a layer of panko crumbs for a nice crunchy top. Bake at 400-425 for 40 minutes or so, keeping an eye that the panko top is browning but not burning,
The trick I use to ensure a smooth creamy consistency is after sautéing the onion and garlic in butter I blend them into a puree that I add to the cheese mixture. I started doing it years ago due to fussy eaters that couldn’t bear pieces of onion in anything. It proves to be pretty handy particularly with sauces and soups even when not required.
Stouffers mac & cheese is excellent. I suggest you give it a try. I always keep a couple of packages in the freezer.
Tip: the box says to nuke for six minutes, stir, then re-cover and nuke an additional three minutes. No, no, no…just put it in the microwave for nine minutes with no break. That way, you get a slightly crusty edge all around. The best part.
Damn-- if it wasn’t 3:30 a.m. (can’t sleep), I’d go fix me a box right now.
Huh, am i the only one who prefers a smooth, creamy mac & cheese to one with a crust? I love cheese, and i love melted cheese, but i don’t really like the taste it develops when it browns. I can eat Parmesan crisps, but they feel like such a waste of good cheese.
Anyway, i almost never eat mac & cheese because my husband and daughter hate cheese (anything in the cheddar family, which includes Velveeta) do i just find make it at home.
That’s me! I love me a good lasagna, but baked mac and cheese doesn’t work for me. Alton Brown’s stovetop mac and cheese is our standard recipe: it’s exactly like Kraft, only better in every way.
I love crusty cheese. To me, a pizza is not good unless the cheese is slightly browned (indeed the best pizza in the US is all about crusty cheese…and it is in Chicago and Jon Stewart needs to re-think his position…I have had it a lot and it is fantastic).
That said, I prefer non-crusty mac and cheese (but will happily eat both kinds).
Heck, I still like Kraft mac and cheese…if that concoction can truly be called such.
^So true about those Burt’s and Pequod’s pies. Also, Detroit style pies in general (I’ve always wondered whether Burt got his idea from that, but I’ve never heard him say he did.)
My quick & easy go-to stovetop mac and cheese is pretty easy to remember: equal parts by weight cheese, evaporated milk, pasta/noodles of your choice. It’s not necessarily the best, but I give it a 4/5 and it takes so little effort. Don’t have to remember a recipe; just have to check the weights on packages and make them reasonably close to equal. Cook the noodles, drain, mix all together until gooey.
