Friday, September 08, 2006

the eyes of texas

this weekend is the Texas v. Ohio game.
we will be "tailgating" at my aunts so
i thought a good dish of mac and cheese
would do the trick...

Macaroni and Cheese



Serves 8; Prep time: 20 minutes;
Total time:1 hour 40 minutes
If you’d like to cook and serve this meal immediately
(rather than freezing it),
bake uncovered until golden and bubbling,
twenty to thirty minutes.
You can also freeze portions now,
then bake them as needed for quick weeknight meals.

1 pound short pasta, such as cavatappi or macaroni
Coarse salt
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese (12 ounces)
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
3 cups very coarse fresh breadcrumbs

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water
1 to 2 minutes less than package instructions.
Drain, rinse with cool water, and return to pot.

2. Meanwhile, heat 4 tablespoons butter in a medium
saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour; cook,
whisking, 1 minute. Add milk, cayenne, nutmeg, and
2 teaspoons salt; bring to a simmer. Cook, whisking,
until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a
spoon, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in cheeses until smooth.
Pour over pasta; toss to coat. Divide among baking dishes.

3. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter; toss with breadcrumbs.
Sprinkle over pasta. Cover tightly with plastic wrap;
freeze up to 3 months.

4. Preheat oven to 375°. Place frozen dishes on a baking sheet;
remove plastic. Cover with foil. Bake until bubbling,
60 to 70 minutes for large dishes, 40 to 50 minutes for small.
Remove foil; continue baking until golden, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Note: This recipe makes enough for two 2-quart or eight 12- to 16-ounce baking dishes.

1 comment:

Mama-san said...

Oooooooh...that looks simply scrumptious! Are you bringing that to Aunt Carol's? I think I'm bringing Blackberry Cobbler. I'd post the recipe....but there's so much frost on the bottom of the box I can't read.....