Classic Macaroni and Cheese

I feel like I tend to write mainly about my cooking successes.  But sometimes things just don’t work out as planned.  Case in point the “Classic Macaroni and Cheese” from Cooks Illustrated.

I had high expectations for this dish.  Cooks Illustrated is known for testing the heck out of the recipes and being really thorough throughout the whole process.  I was hoping that this would be the best.macaroni and cheese.ever.  But alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

The recipe gives the option of going with our without the breadcrumb topping.  I opted out.  I find breadcrumbs on mac ‘n cheese unnecessary.  But that’s just me.  Aside from that I’m pretty sure that I followed the recipe to a T.  The end result was cheesy and delicious but WAY too watery.  I almost want to add MORE  cheese to Maybe I should have let it sit for a bit longer after cooking.  Or maybe I should have sampled less along the way.  I ate A LOT along the way.  To the point that I may have had a stomachache after and wondered if I was lactose intolerant.  The more I think about this one maybe it was actually a “me” issue…

Anyway… this was overall delicious and was great for leftovers over the following few days. To improve upon this I served it with crumbled bacon on top.  It was like heaven.

Check out these links to see what others have to say about the recipe:

The Way The Cookie Crumbles
Cooking Up Memories
Made By Melissa

Rating: *** (out of 5)

Classic Macaroni and Cheese (from Cooks Illustrated)
Serves 6-8 as a main dish

Bread Crumb Topping:
6 slices white sandwich bread (good-quality, about 6 ounces), torn into rough pieces
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (cold), cut into 6 pieces

Pasta and Cheese:
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon table salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons powdered mustard
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
5 cups milk
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese , shredded (2 cups)
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese , shredded (2 cups)
1 teaspoon table salt

1. For the bread crumbs: Pulse bread and butter in food processor until crumbs are no larger than 1/8 inch, ten to fifteen 1-second pulses. Set aside.

2. For the pasta and cheese: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat broiler. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. Add macaroni and 1 tablespoon salt; cook until pasta is tender. Drain pasta and set aside in colander.

3. In now-empty Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add flour, mustard, and cayenne (if using) and whisk well to combine. Continue whisking until mixture becomes fragrant and deepens in color, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk; bring mixture to boil, whisking constantly (mixture must reach full boil to fully thicken). Reduce heat to medium and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened to consistency of heavy cream, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in cheeses and 1 teaspoon salt until cheeses are fully melted. Add pasta and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is steaming and heated through, about 6 minutes.

4. Transfer mixture to broiler-safe 9 by 13-inch baking dish and sprinkle evenly with bread crumbs. Broil until crumbs are deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes, rotating pan if necessary for even browning. Cool about 5 minutes, then serve.