By Popular Demand... Macaroni and Cheese

By far, my most requested recipe is macaroni and cheese. I have been making it the same way since I was a kid, developing more sophisticated flavors with higher quality cheeses and tweaking the seasoning as I learned how to balance competing elements. My late mother taught me how to make good mac 'n cheese after I made one too many boxes of shells with that silver cheese sauce packet. I'm glad she did.

I must confess some chagrin when I discovered that a recent episode of Barefoot Contessa - Back to Basics demonstrated an eerily similar version of my favorite comfort food. Ina Garten and I do have a similar point of view about eating and entertaining, but I want to make it clear that she's not the inspiration for what you're about to read.

Most of these ingredients are somewhat flexible, especially the pasta shapes and cheese selections. I always like to pair sharp cheddar and Swiss, but it's really up to you.

A variation that I still insist (tongue in cheek) that my friend Ina in the Hamptons must have "borrowed"  involves sliced, sauteed cremini mushrooms and crumbled slab bacon folded into the pasta and cheese. This makes it a meal in itself. Not diet food, for sure.

There is a breadcrumb, cheese, and butter mixture I've added on top, but after testing it dozens of times, I prefer to omit it. The flavor notes I prefer to highlight in this particular recipe are the bite of the garlic and cayenne and the mellow creaminess of the melted cheese. If you've never made a bechamel sauce before (the white sauce that is the base for the cheese), don't be intimidated. Just have a good whisk and a bit of patience.

Macaroni and Cheese

Serves 6

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes 

1 lb of hollow noodles... I prefer this shape: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellentani

Elbow macaroni works, but doesn't come out quite as good. Penne, Rotini, etc... work fine

3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

2 cups swiss cheese, grated

2-3 cups whole milk or half and half

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder (not garlic salt!)

1/2 - 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper,  to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Boil the pasta according to package instructions, minus one minute, drain, do not rinse, set aside.

In a pot large enough for all the pasta and cheese sauce mixture, melt the 3 tablespoons of butter together with the flour. Whisk into a roux. Add 2 cups of the milk, whisking vigorously to avoid lumps. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally to remove lumps.

When the sauce begins to thicken add the cheese. Stir constantly to avoid sticking and burning. Stir in the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne until evenly distributed. Taste for seasonings. If it's too thick, add more milk. If it's too soupy, add more cheese.

When everything is a thick, cheesy mess... add the pasta and fold together, coating the pasta completely.

Pour the mixture into a casserole and bake for 30 minutes, until the top starts to brown.