Mac and cheese

[srsly]

cold, leftover mac & cheese is my kryptonite 

the only cold left overs I love are fried chicken and pizza, and perhaps a slice of quiche. Pasta or rice leftovers just aren't as good as  they were when served the first time.

[LilyLily]

I'm a big fan of Pioneer Woman's recipe.  I put some smoked gouda into it along w/ the cheddar.

[rocketgirl]

The recipe I use has onion and it is GOOD.

First you make a roux... OK - first you boil some pasta. Cook1 lb. of any small pasta shape you like to al dente in about a gallon of boiling salted water. Penne, mostaccioli, farfalla, and of course elbow macaroni all work just fine. Drain well and set aside.
 
Then you make a roux...
Melt 1 stick of butter in a large pot (I use a 7 qt dutch oven) over medium heat. Saute 1 medium onion, diced, in the butter until the onion is translucent. Add 1/2 cup all purpose flour to the butter and onion, and cook until the mixture is light brown and smells nutty (about 5 minutes).
 
Now make a bearnaise...
Slowly add 4 cups milk (or 1 bottle of beer and 3 cups of milk), stirring constantly with a whisk so there are no lumps. Season the sauce with salt, freshly ground black pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste. Stir in 3 drops of your favorite hot sauce.
 
And add cheese...
Stir in 1 lb each shredded cheddar and monterey jack cheeses until melted. Add the drained pasta to the pot and stir to coat. Top with another ½ lb of shredded cheddar cheese and a light layer of panko breadcrumbs (or plain breadcrumbs if you don't have panko).
 
Then you bake...
Bake at 450° until golden brown and bubbly. Let the casserole stand for a few minutes before cutting into it. It's hard to do because it smells really good, but the sauce is the culinary equivalent of napalm. Let it sit for about ten minutes and you'll be happier eating it.
 
Serves up to 12 people as a side dish or 8 as a main course.

[diablita]

the only cold left overs I love are fried chicken and pizza, and perhaps a slice of quiche. Pasta or rice leftovers just aren't as good as  they were when served the first time.

While I generally agree, there is something about mac n cheese for me.

[rocketgirl]

Yeah, I don't want my leftover mac & cheese cold.

But it turns out to be pretty darn good with bacon on a grilled sandwich of buttered French or Italian bread.

[caribougrrl]

The recipe I use has onion and it is GOOD.

First you make a roux... OK - first you boil some pasta. Cook1 lb. of any small pasta shape you like to al dente in about a gallon of boiling salted water. Penne, mostaccioli, farfalla, and of course elbow macaroni all work just fine. Drain well and set aside.
 
Then you make a roux...
Melt 1 stick of butter in a large pot (I use a 7 qt dutch oven) over medium heat. Saute 1 medium onion, diced, in the butter until the onion is translucent. Add 1/2 cup all purpose flour to the butter and onion, and cook until the mixture is light brown and smells nutty (about 5 minutes).
 
Now make a bearnaise...
Slowly add 4 cups milk (or 1 bottle of beer and 3 cups of milk), stirring constantly with a whisk so there are no lumps. Season the sauce with salt, freshly ground black pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste. Stir in 3 drops of your favorite hot sauce.
 
And add cheese...
Stir in 1 lb each shredded cheddar and monterey jack cheeses until melted. Add the drained pasta to the pot and stir to coat. Top with another ½ lb of shredded cheddar cheese and a light layer of panko breadcrumbs (or plain breadcrumbs if you don't have panko).
 
Then you bake...
Bake at 450° until golden brown and bubbly. Let the casserole stand for a few minutes before cutting into it. It's hard to do because it smells really good, but the sauce is the culinary equivalent of napalm. Let it sit for about ten minutes and you'll be happier eating it.
 
Serves up to 12 people as a side dish or 8 as a main course.

that's nearly 1/3 lb of cheese per person! (1/5 of a lb as a side)

[Run Amok]

The recipe I use has onion and it is GOOD.

First you make a roux... OK - first you boil some pasta. Cook1 lb. of any small pasta shape you like to al dente in about a gallon of boiling salted water. Penne, mostaccioli, farfalla, and of course elbow macaroni all work just fine. Drain well and set aside.
 
Then you make a roux...
Melt 1 stick of butter in a large pot (I use a 7 qt dutch oven) over medium heat. Saute 1 medium onion, diced, in the butter until the onion is translucent. Add 1/2 cup all purpose flour to the butter and onion, and cook until the mixture is light brown and smells nutty (about 5 minutes).
 
Now make a bearnaise...
Slowly add 4 cups milk (or 1 bottle of beer and 3 cups of milk), stirring constantly with a whisk so there are no lumps. Season the sauce with salt, freshly ground black pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste. Stir in 3 drops of your favorite hot sauce.
 
And add cheese...
Stir in 1 lb each shredded cheddar and monterey jack cheeses until melted. Add the drained pasta to the pot and stir to coat. Top with another ½ lb of shredded cheddar cheese and a light layer of panko breadcrumbs (or plain breadcrumbs if you don't have panko).
 
Then you bake...
Bake at 450° until golden brown and bubbly. Let the casserole stand for a few minutes before cutting into it. It's hard to do because it smells really good, but the sauce is the culinary equivalent of napalm. Let it sit for about ten minutes and you'll be happier eating it.
 
Serves up to 12 people as a side dish or 8 as a main course.

(bernaise is actually made in the fashion of hollondaise-- egg yolks & clarified butter. You're describing a bechamel which is jus roux & milk)

[rocketgirl]

(bernaise is actually made in the fashion of hollondaise-- egg yolks & clarified butter. You're describing a bechamel which is jus roux & milk)

I don't know what any of it is called.  I copied and pasted from a friend.  She can COOK but has been winging it for so long that she doesn't always remember the terminology.  But I use her recipe.

And yes, cg, it is a SHIT TON of cheese!  The boyfriend discovered the hard way that it is not a good night before a long run meal.  (I did warn him...)

[Dagstag v 2.0]

that's nearly 1/3 lb of cheese per person! (1/5 of a lb as a side)

You say that like it's a problem...

[caribougrrl]

You say that like it's a problem...

I don't even know if it's a problem or not, I'm still in shock.

[Dagstag v 2.0]

I don't even know if it's a problem or not, I'm still in shock.

Given that a serving of cheese is 1 oz, and I have definitely eaten 4 servings of cheese at a time before, I'm not fazed

[caribougrrl]

Given that a serving of cheese is 1 oz, and I have definitely eaten 4 servings of cheese at a time before, I'm not fazed

you should move to Canada, our cheese serving size is 1.5 oz...


I'm not a mac and cheese eater, but do occasionally eat too much pizza... I imagine it's quite likely there's just as much cheese there.  But seeing it in writing makes it real, I guess. 

[Dagstag v 2.0]

you should move to Canada, our cheese serving size is 1.5 oz...


I'm not a mac and cheese eater, but do occasionally eat too much pizza... I imagine it's quite likely there's just as much cheese there.  But seeing it in writing makes it real, I guess.

Secretly, I would love to move to Canada.  I feel Canadian.

I don't like extra cheese on pizza for some reason, but I can demolish a baked brie or an assiete fromage like nobody's business.

Back to mac & cheese... I know it's cliche, but I really like truffled mac & cheese.

[srsly]

Secretly, I would love to move to Canada.  I feel Canadian.

I don't like extra cheese on pizza for some reason, but I can demolish a baked brie or an assiete fromage like nobody's business.

Back to mac & cheese... I know it's cliche, but I really like truffled mac & cheese.

I do too! I almost forgot that I have truffle oil just for making mac and cheese. I will make this for Christmas.

[wombleatwimbledon]

Secretly, I would love to move to Canada.  I feel Canadian.

I don't like extra cheese on pizza for some reason, but I can demolish a baked brie or an assiete fromage like nobody's business.

Back to mac & cheese... I know it's cliche, but I really like truffled mac & cheese.

I love Mac and cheese, I makes huges batches and freeze single portions since it makes a great easy lunch if you have a bit of salad or steamed veggies with it..

My absolute fav cheese at the moment is either deep fried Camembert or halloumi

[Magic Microbe]

No recipe needed for Mac and cheese. Start with a roux...add milk and cheese and the sauce is done.

[caribougrrl]

I read an article yesterday about a hot-shot BBQ place in Brooklyn (the owner is from S Carolina if I recall)... any way, he does his mac and cheese in a waffle iron (I mean, I presume he stirs macaroni into cheese sauce then uses that as "batter").


It's possible that would be mac and cheese I could get behind.

[moroccangirl]

I read an article yesterday about a hot-shot BBQ place in Brooklyn (the owner is from S Carolina if I recall)... any way, he does his mac and cheese in a waffle iron (I mean, I presume he stirs macaroni into cheese sauce then uses that as "batter").


It's possible that would be mac and cheese I could get behind.

That sounds interesting

[merigayle]

Lots of things are AWESOME in the waffle iron, this may be a hard one to clean up though...... I like mashed potatoes in the waffle iron