Martha Stewart’s Creamy Mac-and-Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is the ultimate crowd pleaser.  There’s nothing better than noodles smothered in a creamy, cheesy sauce with a crispy crouton topping.  I’ve tried several different recipes such as one incorporating butternut squash and bacon.  It was very good but….I happened to see Martha’s mac-and-cheese recipe on the Smitten Kitchen blog and I immediately thought, this is the one.  How much cheese for one pound of pasta?  Lots!  What was Martha thinking?

This recipe makes a lot of mac-and-cheese so if you’re not feeding a large group of people you may want to cut the recipe in half.  Here is my adaption of Martha’s Mac-and Cheese.

Martha Stewart’s Creamy Mac-and-Cheese

Serves 12

Ingredients

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, plus more for casserole

5 slices white bread, crusts removed, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

5 1/2 cups milk (2% or whole, either works fine)

1/2 cup flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 pound grated extra sharp cheddar, about 4 1/2 cups (I use Tillamook yellow, the original recipe calls for sharp white so use which ever you prefer).  Set aside 3 cups of the cheddar for the sauce.  The remaining cheddar will be sprinkled on the top before baking.

4 1/2 ounces grated Pecorino Romano cheese, about 1 1/4 cup (or 8 ounces grated Gruyère, about 2 cups). Set aside 1 cup Pecorino Romano for the sauce (or 1 1/2 cups Gruyère).  The remaining Pecorino Romano (or Gruyère) will be sprinkled on the top before baking.

1 pound elbow macaroni

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a 3-quart casserole dish, set aside.  Place bread cubes in a medium bowl.  Melt two tablespoons of butter in a covered microwave dish just  until melted. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the bread cubes and toss. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (large enough to generously cook 1 pound of pasta).  Cook the macaroni until the outside of the pasta is cooked and the inside is  underdone, about 4 minutes.  Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse under cold water.  Drain well and set aside.

Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat (large enough to hold the sauce and pasta). When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring 1 minute.

While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep the mixture smooth.  Continue cooking, whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, about 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat.  Stir in the salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups of cheddar cheese, 1 cup Pecorino Romano (or 1 1/2 cups Gruyère).  Stir the macaroni into the cheese sauce.

Pour the mixture into your casserole dish.  Sprinkle remaining cheddar and Pecorino Romano (or Gruyère) and bread cubes over the top.  Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.  Transfer the dish to a wire rack for 5 minutes; serve.

This is another meal that freezes well.  Chill the leftovers in the casserole and cut into squares and wrap in foil for individual servings.  It’s best to remove the mac-and-cheese from the foil and place in a lightly buttered dish when reheating.  If you have a toaster oven it will crisp up the croutons nicely.