Mike's Mac and Cheese
Main Dish • Pasta
Source: Mike Weller
Ingredients
- Pasta:
- 3 quarts water
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 1# pasta, macaroni or shells
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- Béchamel:
- 1/2 Cup butter
- 1/2 Cup AP flour
- 6 Cups whole milk – very cold
- 1/4 peeled onion, root intact
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 bay leaf
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- Spices:
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon – 15 gratings of fresh nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
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- Cheeses:
- 3.5 ounces - 1 Cup grated Gruyere cheese
- 3.5 ounces - 1 Cup grated Cheddar cheese
- 1 Cup mascarpone cheese
- 3 ounces ~ 3/4 Cup grated Provolone cheese
- 4 ounces z 1 Cup diced mozzarella cheese
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- Optional Regional Ingredients:
- 3 eggs beaten
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- Topping:
- 1 Cup bread crumbs
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- Leaves from 6 stems of thyme
- 1 ounce Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
- 1 ounce melted butter
Directions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Grab a large stock pot, add the water, and bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and stir to dissolve. Now add the pasta and cook for 2 minutes less than the cooking time specified on the package. Drain and hold warm.
- 2. Make your Mother Sauce! Melt the butter in a saucepot, then add the flour and stir well to make a pale paste. Stir until you can see no lumps or streaks of white flour. Cook over medium heat for a minute or two, then add in 1/4 of the cold milk and whisk to make a smooth, thick paste. Add in the second quarter of the milk, and whisk. When the sauce thickens again, add in the remainder of the milk and whisk it smooth. Bring to a simmer, stirring.
- 3. Use the cloves to “nail” the bay leaf to the onion quarter. Drip the onion flavor bomb into the sauce. Cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Remove the onion. You have a classic béchamel sauce!
- 4. Add in the spices and stir to distribute. Now remove the sauce from the heat. Add in the cheeses, except for the mozzarella, and stir to incorporate. If you are using the eggs, add little of the Mornay sauce to the eggs and whisk. Add a little more and whisk. Do it one more time. Now add the eggs into the sauce and stir rapidly to distribute. Pour the cheese sauce a Mornay sauce, if you want to get technical – into the cooked pasta and stir. Fold in the mozzarella cubes and pour into a 13x9” gratin dish.
- 5. Mix the topping ingredients together, then sprinkle over the top of the pasta. Put the dish into the oven and bake until the top is dark brown, crunchy and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven after around 20 minutes, and then allow to sit for 10 incredibly long minutes. Serve up and enjoy!