My love for cheese is undying. It goes as far back to when I was five and my Mom would give me a snack of raisins and cheese to have while I watched taped episodes of the Little Mermaid series. (I imagine I must have liked the sweet and salty combination.) I digress; a good bowl of the regular Kraft Dinner Mac and Cheese* is very nice once in a while, but a good bowl of homemade m&c is even nicer, I discovered recently. The recipe I used was adapted from the Star (the newspaper I read when I'm home), and they said you could use just about any type of cheese. So I did! I've never made *real* mac and cheese before, so this was a good start for me. I experimented with old cheddar, medium cheddar, emmental cheese and smoked gouda. It turned out creamy and lovely, (served along side with some steamed veggies) and the smokey flavour of gouda added a nice touch. However, I'll probably go with the regular kind next time. I had some of it leftover, and it did not take long for its aroma to take over my small fridge, and linger on for a bit after I'd finished it.
2 cups macaroni (preferably whole wheat)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
2 cups mixed shredded semi-hard cheeses
Kosher salt + freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
In medium saucepan of boiled, salted water, cook macaroni as per package instructions until al dente. Drain well.
In another medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Whisk in flour until paste forms.
Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Raise heat to medium-high; bring sauce to boil, whisking constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in mixed cheeses until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Add macaroni; stir to coat.
Transfer to 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Generously season with pepper. Cook under preheated broiler on high 5 to 8 minutes, until richly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
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