Creamy-Cheesy Mac and Cheese

4 slices white sandwich bread
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
Salt to taste
1 lb. elbow macaroni
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
6 tbsp. all purpose flour
1-3/4 cups chicken stock or broth
3-1/2 cups half and half
16 oz. colby cheese, shredded
8 oz. mild cheddar cheese, shredded & not aged
ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Note before cooking: You may want to read this recipe and assemble the ingredients before starting to cook this recipe. Many ingredients are called for with little or no time to gather the ingredients once you've started cooking.

1. For the macaroni casserole topping, melt 2T butter. Process the bread with melted butter in a food processor until bread is coarsely ground, about six 1-second pulses. Set topping aside.

2. For the macaroni and cheese casserole itself, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in your largest Dutch oven over high heat. Stir in 1T of salt and the 16oz. macaroni. Cook, stirring occasionally, until ad dente- for ONLY 5 MINUTES (it will bake for 30 minutes longer). Drain the pasta and leave in the colander: set colander aside.

3. Wipe the pot dry. Add the butter to the pot and return to medium heat until melted. Add the garlic, mustard, and cayenne. Cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly until golden, about 1 minute.

4. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk; bring to a simmer and cook, whisking often until large bubbles form on the surface and the mixture is slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.

5. Off the heat, whisk in the Colby and Cheddar gradually until completely melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Add the drained pasta to the cheese sauce and stir, breaking up any clumps, until well combined. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle the top with the bread-crumb topping made in step #1 above. Don't worry- the casserole will look watery and runny! It will firm up completely when baked.

7. Bake until golden brown and bubbling around the edges, 25 ro 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Comments from wiscogal :

This is the most luscious macaroni and cheese casserole recipe that I've found. I think I originally saw it on a CBS morning show.

User Reviews:

NOTE- The proper ingredient should read:

6TABLESPOONS all-purpose flour

NOT 6teaspoons flour.

I am so sorry for the oversight. -WiscoGal

Submitted by wiscogal on December 06, 2006

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