Try this Macaroni and Cheese recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 2 cups half and half
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper white or black
- 12 cups grated cheese (a mixture of extra-sharp white ched sharp cheddar, and extra-sharp cheddar or gruyere--if using the kraft cracker barrel blocks that i highly recommend, you will need six 8 oz. blocks. i use two of each.)
- 1 pound macaroni cooked and drained
- Carbohydrate 10.9881966570968 g
- Cholesterol 64.9110000343348 mg
- Fat 21.9185915524731 g
- Fiber 0.173111461528585 g
- Protein 5.12685719201635 g
- Saturated Fat 13.6385142982931 g
- Serving Size 1 1 -12 (208g)
- Sodium 139.513241817587 mg
- Sugar 10.8150851955682 g
- Trans Fat 1.4180690423316 g
- Calories 258 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish, and spread foil inside a large cookie sheet for the dish to sit in. Or you could just plan to clean your oven.
- Grate all the cheese into a large bowl.
- Remove six cups of cheese to another bowl and set aside. This is for the sauce.
- Melt butter completely in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. (I use the same stockpot in which I cooked the noodles.)
- Slowly whisk in flour until smooth.
- Cook, whisking continuously, for about two minutes.
- Slowly whisk in half-and-half and milk and whisk continuously for about 8 minutes until thickened.
- Remove pot from heat.
- Stir in salt and pepper.
- Stir in 6 cups of grated cheese and continue stirring until cheese is completely melted and sauce is creamy.
- Add cooked macaroni noodles to the cheese sauce and mix well, until noodles are incorporated into sauce.
- Slowly mix 3 cups grated cheese into the noodles.
- Pour noodles and cheese sauce into the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining 3 cups of grated cheese on top of the noodles.
- Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes to develop a nice, browned, crusty top.
Whisking the flour and butter for exactly two minutes over medium-high heat cooks out the raw starch flavor before the dairy is introduced, establishing the structural foundation for a stable béchamel that will not separate in the oven. Rooted in the broader history of gratin dishes popularized in eighteenth-century European culinary texts, baked macaroni preparations rely on heavy starch-and-dairy matrices that demand deliberate balance on the plate. Because this dish delivers a massive concentration of saturated fat and dairy solids, pairing choices must introduce acidity, bitterness, or sharp astringency to reset the palate between bites.
- Serve bitter greens dressed simply with a bright lemon vinaigrette, such as a cold endive or arugula salad, which provides the necessary acid contrast to cut through twelve cups of melted cheese.
- Add quick-pickled red onions or cornichons to the table to supply a vinegary snap that cleanses heavy milk fats from the tongue.
- Roast cruciferous vegetables like Brussels sprouts or broccoli with a heavy char at 425 degrees Fahrenheit; the sulfurous notes and caramelized edges complement the baked dairy crust without adding competing weight.
- Keep roasted meats bright and lean, selecting a simple pork tenderloin or a vinegar-based grilled chicken rather than heavy beef preparations that would overwhelm the palate.
Balancing heavy, baked cheese dishes requires thoughtful management of plate dynamics. Acid and bitterness transform a monolithic pan of pasta into a composed meal.
