Name: Mac & Cheese
Ingredients: cheddar cheese; cantal; similar cheese; gouda; macaroni; plain (all purpose) flour; evaporated milk; butter; dijon mustard; salt; day old breadcrumbs; unsalted butter; milk

Marc Grossman

Mac & Cheese

Preparation info

Difficulty
Easy
Serves
5

Appears in

New York Cult Recipes

By Marc Grossman

Published 2013

About

Feed the kids (or your inner child). Nobody in any case is ever disappointed with this gratin of macaroni with a cheese sauce.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: about 50 minutes

Ingredients

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) macaroni

Cheese Sauce

50 g (1¾ oz) butter
1½ tablespoons plain (all purpose) flour
400 ml (14 fl oz) evaporated milk
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoons salt
300 ml (10½ fl oz) milk
300 g (10½ oz/3 cups) grated cheddar cheese (or similar cheese, such as gouda or Cantal)

Gratin

150 g (5½ oz) day old breadcrumbs
50 g (1¾ oz) unsalted butter, melted

Method

The Pasta

Cook the macaroni pasta in salted water according to the packet directions until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop it cooking further.

The Cheese Sauce

Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. After a few minutes, when bubbles start to form, add the flour. Stir constantly while cooking the mixture until it starts to turn a light brown. Add the evaporated milk slowly while continuing to stir. Mix in the mustard and salt. Continue stirring and cooking for another few minutes until smooth and thick. Add the milk and cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Turn off the heat and add the cooked macaroni to the sauce.

The Gratin

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Transfer the macaroni and cheese to an appropriately sized baking dish. It’s normal for the mixture to seem quite liquid, but it will thicken during cooking. Combine the breadcrumbs and melted butter and sprinkle over the top. Bake for 30 minutes.

Noodle Kugle

See recipe.