Monday, August 31, 2009

"Oh My Goodness" Homemade Mac and Cheese


Yesterday I was cooking for the two men in my life (Mike and my brother Calvin), and I couldn't wait to try Ina's homemade mac and cheese. (That's right, I like to pretend that I am on a first name basis with the Barefoot Contessa.) I wanted to just try the basic version of her mac and cheese and it was possibly one of the best dishes to ever grace my kitchen. I really can't give enough fantastic reviews of this dish. Mike and Calvin will back me up on this.

Ingredients

Salt
Oil
1 lb. Cavatappi pasta
1 quart Milk
8 tbsp. butter
1/2 c Flour
12 oz. Gruyere Cheese
8 oz. Extra Sharp Cheddar
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. Salt
1 1/2 c. bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Drizzle oil into a salted boiling pot of water. Add cavatappi and cook according to instructions on package.

Meanwhile, heat milk in a saucepan. Make sure not to boil. In another pan, create a roux by melting 6 tbsp. of butter and adding the flour whisking for approx. 2 minutes. Add in the milk, again whisking until smooth. Once it is smooth, take off the heat and add the cheese. Stir until smooth. Add the nutmeg, pepper, and salt. (Even if you're not a fan of nutmeg, try it out in this. It gives the dish the most amazing flavor). Add the cooked pasta and stir until even.

At this point, Ina puts the mac and cheese in individual gratin dishes. I, on the other hand, do not have 8 gratin dishes, so I just put it in a casserole dish. As far as I know, it worked just as well.

Heat the remaining butter in a pan and add the bread crumbs. Top the mac and cheese with it. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the top is bubbly and brown. I suggest putting an old cookie sheet underneath, otherwise you run the risk of having a HUGE mess to clean up later. Trust me, you need to have an old cookie sheet just for this sort of event in the kitchen.

Like I said, this dish is absolutely fantastic. I don't think I can ever go back to regular mac and cheese - not that regular Kraft Mac and Cheese is all that great (although a guilty pleasure of mine is making it and putting cut up hot dogs in it. A little juvenille, but ah so comforting). When I try this again, I am probably going to put some ham and tomatoes in it. Who knows where I'll go from there. Seriously. This is a dish that will keep reappearing in my house with many variations for a very long time to come.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Programming Note

Again, it's been a long time. Mike and I have been traveling around in the general direction of north and have been eating out a lot. No, we haven't eaten out everyday since I last posted...well, at least not every meal. I will be coming back, though, since school has started once again. I will randomly post great restaurants to visit in the cities we were in.

***Orzo Frittata Note

Neither Mike nor I saw fit to eat any of the left overs from this dish. Needless to say, since we do not like to waste food, this dish will not be prepared in our house again. At least not in the foreseeable future.

***Cooking Note

While I have not posted, I have made some fantastic lasagna, salsa chicken, spaghetti sauce, and a few other dishes. I forgot to take pictures of all of them. I also made the Spring Green Risotto for my mom, and she absolutely loved it. Seriously people, if you haven't had risotto before, you need to. It's got to be some of the best comfort food ever.

***Baking Note

The chocolate chip cookies have made multiple reappearances. What can I say, once people have something they like, they keep asking for it. I also made my Grams' brownies, which the HR people accredited to Mike getting his job! :) Of course that's not the truth, but it was nice to hear anyway.