So, last Sunday, I went on a daring adventure, and cooked what was promising to be one of the best Mac n Cheese dishes that I have had this far! I was on yahoo.com at the end of the day last Friday, when one of the pop up windows was a headline for Martha Stewart's Famous Mac n Cheese. This completely got my attention, albeit because I was probably hungry, but I decided that I wanted to try to make it!
Martha Stewart is an American Icon, not for cooking particularly, but an icon all the same. I knew that her mac n cheese had to be promising. So on Sunday, I got all of the ingredients that I needed and made a GIANT batch of Martha's Mac n cheese. The recipe seemed simple enough, fool proof even, but it sounded heavenly and I was utterly surprised with how delicious the dish was, based on the simple ingredients.
Martha required a french roll, bakery quality, literally, it stated that in the recipe. I stuck with a fresh french roll from Target! Ripped the roll in to bite size crumbs, tossed in melted butter in a saute dish, and set aside.
Then, I took more butter, mmmmmm and flour to create what would prove to be the thickening agent in the cheese/milk/gooey sauce. The butter had to be bubbling, not burning before the flour was added slowly! Oh Martha, how the details were endless.
I then added what proved to be 5 cups of milk. This became my rue. I had to whisk the milk/butter/flour concoction until it thickened, then set aside. You also are required to add a touch of salt, pepper, and cayenne. I was out of cayenne so I substituted with chili pepper and it tasted exactly the same.
What Martha's recipe writing minions forget to mention is that this takes about 10 minutes of non-stop whisking, and the cheese needs to be graded during this time, or prior, in prep work. Thank goodness my mom was home to assist me. I offered her the choice of whisking, of grading 3 blocks of cheese.
She opted for the cheese.
This recipe was just up my ally! It required 2 full blocks of White Sharp Cheddar cheese, which by the way Muffin Topzz, happens to by my favorite cheese in the world. And an additional block of Gruyere. Which I also adore. Pairing these two cheeses together sounded like a dream come true to me. The white cheddar is so sharp and almost tangy, and the gruyere is pungent but delicious at the same time. MMMMMMM my mouth is watering.
This is my new favorite picture! Besides any pictures of Jackson of course.
I think the fumes as I was stirring the cheese into the rue were potent and delicious. I was melting in the cheese one handful at a time to make sure that every morsel was melted, and gooey, just as Martha demanded.
There is not much better in life I find, than stringy, melty gooey cheese.
Typical Italian, watching the pot, waiting, begging for it to boil.
My cheesey goodness waiting to be mixed with the noodles.
The prepped mac n cheese in the dish waiting to be entered into the oven. So you mix the noodles with the cheese mixture, then put the remaining 1 cup half cheddar half gruyere on top of the mac n cheese.
I then topped the mac n cheese with the toasted and buttered bread crumbs and spread across the whole dish. This is my favorite part of a mac n cheese. I love the toasted texture with crisp edges and gooey cheese dripping off. So I made sure to take care and spread the bread crumbs accordingly.
Pleasantly Baking
This is a horrible picture
This mac n cheese came out beautifully. I was so proud of myself for making something so beautiful, not only in looks, but this mac n cheese was appealing to all of my senses. It smelled incredible and tasted even better.
It was perfect. The creamy cheesy sauce was moist enough, the noodles were cooked perfectly, the cheese was pungent enough while settle enough and the crispy was perfect on top! Martha Stewart, your recipe is delicious and easy to make. Appealing to the everyday person. Leave it to Martha Stewart to come up with an amazing, traditional yet kitchy, comforting version of one of America's favorite dishes. While it isn't number 1 in my book, it sure is up there. And anyone who reads this blog often, knows that to be up there in the Mac n Cheese book, is saying a lot!
I know you are all going to ask, yes the recipe is listed below, and no this is not the best mac n cheese I have ever had. Still the list is as follows-
1. Barcelona on the Go- Manchengo Mac n Cheese
2. Haven Gastropub- Appetizer Mac n Cheese
3. Martha Stewart's Mac n Cheese
Anything beyond top 3 in my opinion is not worth listing. If you have recipes that you think at sinful, send them in! Let's see who can make the top 3 list!
Serves 12
6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
1 pound elbow macaroni
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.
4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.
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