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.
