Looking for The Ultimate Macaroni and Cheese recipe
Does anyone have a macaroni and cheese recipe they swear by? Cheesy crispy top...sublime cheese combination... You know, the kind that you just can't get enough of? With the colder months approaching, I'd like to have this recipe in my arsenal.
It gets cold here in Rhode Island!
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18 Comments:
This one from Epicurious is the one I've been making for a couple of years now. I don't put the breadcrumbs on top and usually cut it in half because it makes enough for 20! Sometimes I add just a touch of gorgonzola or goat cheese also. This one is popular with adults and kids.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Macaroni-and-Cheese-239270
jdbknits at 4:11PM on 10/07/09
either Martha Stewart's (it's linked in the 'most emailed' section here) or Ina Garten's. Both are decadent and delicious, though, with the combination of cheeses, on the pricey side. Either are easily google-able.
BananaMonkey at 4:27PM on 10/07/09
I just made this 2 nights ago. It's Alton Brown's recipe, but I doubled the amount of macaroni and kept everything the same (except I added an extra bit of butter, flour, and 1 cup milk). And I replaced some of the cheddar with camembert because that's what I had around. It turned out perfectly.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe/index.html
leunge at 4:55PM on 10/07/09
My recipe is similar to Martha's but it is way creamier and not baked (which I think dries out the sauce): Make a white sauce while you are boiling the pasta. Drain the pasta and put it back in the pot it came from and add 2 T of butter, then stir over a very low light. Add the white sauce to the pasta and stir to coat. Then start adding in big handfuls of grated cheese (I use cheddar and gruyere - about 4 cups total) and stir after each handful until melted. Once all the cheese is in and melted, crack in a whole egg and stir quickly to coat everything and avoid scrambling the egg. Serve right away.
The result is SUPER rich and gooey delicious mac and cheese.
laurelie at 5:13PM on 10/07/09
Thanks to you all, Looks like I've got a tasting mission ahead of me. Can't wait!
Abart at 5:36PM on 10/07/09
I don't have just one recipe I follow, but I usually use Muenster as one of my cheeses, and I can't figure out why more people don't.
I also make a crumb topping with my own fresh bread processed until I like the size of the crumb (still fairly coarse.) Add some soft butter and olive or canola oil. This is great to add to so many things that I keep a jar in the fridge. Often I add some parmesan to it when I add it to a dish. The crumb is great sauted in a pan (even without the parm) and used as a topping for spaghetti for a side dish or snack.
lemonfair at 5:49PM on 10/07/09
I like to double the bacon!
cellosubmarine at 7:38PM on 10/07/09
I don't think the link worked. Oops. Here is the url:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_67584_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html
cellosubmarine at 7:39PM on 10/07/09
I make the Alton Brown recipe as well. I cut down the onions (usually use shallots since my SO hates lots of oniony flavor) and add lots of crispy bacon chunks. I usually use the bacon fat to start the flour/milk thing going.
And mixing parm into the breadcrumb mix like Lemonfair said, is a great great great idea! It helps to get a nice color and flavor to the crunchy topping. My favorite thing about mac and cheese is the breadcrumb topping.
gingercookiewithlime at 9:00PM on 10/07/09
Sometimes I serve provencal tomatoes on the side, more often I just slide a few of those suckers right on top on the mac and cheese. It's amazing how well the tomatoes compliment a rich mac and cheese by cutting through with their fresh acidity. Also, I like to top the tomatoes and sometimes the mac and cheese with panko crumbs tossed with parm, herbs and olive oil.
dhorst at 9:39PM on 10/07/09
I make mine with shredded smoked gouda its AMAZING!
WSLunch at 10:03PM on 10/07/09
I usually make Tyler Florence's recipe. I like it because you steep garlic and thyme in the milk you use to make the bechamel. I add more cheese than the recipe calls for but then I almost always do that no matter what I'm making.
The other thing I love about this is the bacon topping.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_35369_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html
RegrettableFoodie at 12:30AM on 10/08/09
My 2 favorites are Martha's mac n cheese and Delilah's 7 cheese mac n cheese.
caramel at 7:54AM on 10/08/09
My favorites are Delilah's 7 as well and the Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese by Rick Massa from a Food Network challenge. THAT was reallly good. Now I'm going to have to make it tonight.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cheese-lovers-5-cheese-mac-and-cheese-recipe/index.html
KB in Toledo at 10:25AM on 10/08/09
Mac & Cheese with champagne and pancetta:
http://wickedgooddinner.blogspot.com/2009/01/macaroni-and-cheese-with-champagne-and.html
Mac & Cheese with goat cheese, white wine and herbs:
http://www.examiner.com/x-4215-Orlando-Cooking-Examiner~y2009m9d6-Macaroni-and-cheese-with-goat-cheese-and-white-wine
WickedGoodDinner at 7:19PM on 10/08/09
Stephanie Izard's recipe for macaroni & cheese:
Macaroni and Four Cheeses with Apples and Bacon Breadcrumbs
fatitalianbroad at 11:09PM on 10/08/09
WSLunch's smoked gouda sounds like a winner. You could probably experiment with other smoked cheeses, cheddar, mozz and swiss come to mind as being easy to find in most markets these days.
dmcavanagh at 12:36AM on 10/10/09
Rather than write out a long recipe, I'll just tell one unusual method I do: Boil one lb elbow mac in just enough salted water. When just about ready, instead of draining it, I add 1 packet of non-fat instant dry milk to the pot, making it contain 1 quart of milk. Basiclly I then mix in a roux mixture (cooked butter/flour/milk/sharp cheddar) more cheddar; sour cream. Season w/spec of nutmeg. Bake in very heavily buttered glass pan; sprinkle top with lots of buttered bread crumbs. Bake 375 for about 45 min. It comes out bubbly, crispy, buttery. My grandchildren's favorite. But I try not to make it too often. The calorie/cholestrol count of off the charts!
SavtaShayna at 5:18PM on 10/12/09