I found myself in a predicament the other day. We were standing in the grocery store, the kids and I, and we were discussing what we wanted for dinner that night. I was standing right next to a display of pasta that was on sale, and I asked the kids if pasta sounded good. Abigail thought so, but Zander asked if we could have macaroni and cheese instead of pasta with red sauce. Macaroni and cheese is always good, and just one aisle away I could have helped myself to any number of boxed mac-n-cheese options. I paused for a minute, sighed a little to myself, and then told the kids that we could have mac-n-cheese, but I would make it from scratch today. I asked Zander to pick a shape of pasta, and after long deliberation, he settled with some spirals. (Excellent choice for maximum cheese sauce to pasta ratio.)
I am ashamed to say then, that my next inclination was not to head to the cheese section, rather, we spent time in the store attempting to hunt down an elusive box of Velveeta. Hey, I knew what my kids preferred, and they really do prefer the creaminess of Velveeta. Except that we couldn’t find it anywhere, seeing how it’s a new-to-us grocery store. As we walked the aisles looking for the “pasteurized cheese product”, we walked past the boxes of Velveeta mac-n-cheese, and I paused. I hesitated, and I almost succumbed. But then I dug deep, discovered my resolve, and I led my children on a hike back to the dairy section for some real cheddar cheese. A big block of sharp cheddar later, I added a pork roast to our dinner and headed for the door.
I know how to make homemade mac-n-cheese from scratch, and by golly, if I’m not going to follow my own non-processed food advice and make it. So when we got home I decided I should find a recipe to loosely follow, and my nose led me to someone who knows good mac-n-cheese: The Barefoot Contessa. I’ve watched Ina Garten make mac-n-cheese on her show, and this woman knows how to make a creamy, cheesy bowl of macaroni. I pulled out my copy of Barefoot Contessa Family Style and then proceeded to alter the recipe a few ways as I assembled.
Really, I made two big changes. Okay, maybe more than that, but the biggest change was that I did not use her recommended cheeses of gruyere and extra-sharp cheddar. My kids would not eat the gruyere, so I opted to use Sharp cheddar, 4-year old aged cheddar (think Irish cheddar) and a handful of Muenster, simply because it seemed like a good way to use up a nub of cheese. I also cut the recipe in half. I made half the cheese sauce recommended, but proceeded to use about 3/4 of a pound of pasta- and it was plenty cheesy.
Other things I changed. I did not use the crumbs or the tomatoes on top. When it’s summer and the tomatoes are fresh off the vine, then I bet sliced tomatoes are wonderful. Instead, I just added a sprinkle of grated cheddar to the top. I also left out the nutmeg. Since I wasn’t using the nutty Gruyere, I didn’t think it sounded good at all- I simply used extra pepper.
So many changes later, I had an amazing looking macaroni and cheese.
Really, it was very, very good. Decadently creamy and very satisfying as far as homemade macaroni and cheeses go. I think my choices of cheeses for the kids was not ideal- it was on the sharp side, and I think that next time I need to use a combination of medium cheddar and Gouda. I served the macaroni and cheese with the pork roast and some delightful new asparagus- lightly steamed and tossed with salt and pepper. Delicious, and definitely homemade and preservative free. It was worth every minute and all the clean-up.
Ina’s Mac & Cheese
Kosher salt Vegetable oil 1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi 1 quart milk 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups) 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups) 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small) 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don’t boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.
Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.