Harriett’s Creamy Macaroni & Cheese
This Macaroni & Cheese brings a bit more advanced cooking technique to its preparation but don't let a few extra steps intimidate you. The Macaroni & Cheese that you get will bring you compliments and praise. And it will satisfy your own longing for a softly textured cheesy mouthful that satisfies every part of your tongue.
It starts with the roux. What that means is you melt some butter, stir in a small amount of flour - that's your roux - then add milk, cook until it thickens, then add cheese. (See, if you were doing this you were using chef-y techniques and didn't know it!) The bechamel sauce makes a luscious base that the macaroni just luxuriates in, drinking in the butter and cheese.
A couple of pointers for this Macaroni & Cheese:
For some reason, the milk is added cold to your roux. That doesn't seem intuitive, but it works. Just remember to add the milk slowly and whisk (stirring doesn't work nearly as well) rapidly. You may need to stop adding the milk to make sure you are whisking it in adequately before you add more.
As you heat the milk mixture, stir very frequently so the flour doesn't settle to the bottom of the pot. Once it has thickened and the flour has cooked in the bechamel, take it off the heat to add cheese.
Try not to cook the bechamel any further once you have added the cheese. Over-heating the cheese will result in the cheese separating and becoming greasy before you've even baked it. Not desirable! If you're worried about the ingredients cooling off, your casserole will heat through sufficiently during its oven time. Don't make the cheese mad, ok?
Ingredients
- 2.5 cup Elbow Macaroni (10 oz.)
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 3 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- 3 cup Whole Milk
- 4 oz Sour Cream
- 1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- dash Hot Sauce (to taste)
- 3 cup Cheddar Cheese (Shredded, 12 oz.)
- 2 oz Cheddar Cheese (Cubed)
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1/2 cup Bread Crumbs (Panko your own processed bread crumbs)
- 1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese (Grated)
- 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley (Minced)
Cheese Sauce plus Macaroni
Bread Crumb Topping
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375° F and butter a 2 quart casserole dish. Fill a large (6 quarts) pot with water with 3 - 4 tablespoons salt. Heat to simmering and hold.
- Melt 2 tbsp butter in a medium saucepan. Add bread crumbs and heat until the crumbs begin to brown.Take off heat. When cooled stir in Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Set aside.
Warm the milk to a low simmer in a small saucepan, or heat in a microwavable bowl until milk is just beginning to steam, about 115° F.
- In a medium saucepan (3-4 quarts) melt 1/4 cup butter. Whisk in the flour so it forms a smooth paste. Simmer on medium heat until the flour mixture bubbles up and thins out slightly.
- Using a wire whisk, slowly add one cup of the warm milk, whisking quickly and constantly. (You are looking to mix the milk with the flour roux until it is smooth.)
- Whisk in the remainder of the milk, then the sour cream.
Combine the Nutmeg, Paprika, Sugar, Onion Powder, Ground Black Pepper and salt in a small bowl. Stir the Hot Sauce and seasonings into the flour sauce and cook over low to medium heat until sauce is thickened and bubbles slightly, about 5 minutes.
Bring the pot of water to a rapid boil. Add macaroni and cook 5 - 6 minutes, until barely al dente. Drain, rinse with cool water, and drain again.
While macaroni is draining, stir shredded cheese and sour cream into sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
- Add drained macaroni and stir to mix completely.
- Pour half of macaroni mixture into casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese cubes across the macaroni. Cover with remaining macaroni and sauce. It may seem that there is too much sauce; don't worry, just spoon that on to of the macaroni. It will bake in and is needed for a creamy end product.
- Spread bread crumb mixture over the casserole and bake 15 to 20 minutes, until sides are bubbling and the top is golden brown. If a browner topping is desired, place the casserole under the broiler for no more than 5 additional minutes.