Macaroni and Cheese (take two)

So the first time I tried to make homemade Mac and cheese it turned out less than desirable (click HERE) it was LESS than tasty, in fact it was down right nasty! This recipe was the opposite, very yummy, creamy and tasty.



For topping:

1/4 stick (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or coarse fry bread crumbs
1 cup coarsely grated extra sharp cheddar (about 4 ounces)

For cheese sauce and macaroni:
3 Tbsp unsalted bitter
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 cups coarsely grated extra sharp Cheddar (about 1 pound)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound elbow macaroni

put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 400F. Butter a 3-quart shallow baking dish.

Make the topping: stir together butter, panko and cheese in a bowl until well combined.

Make the sauce: melt butter in a 5 quart heavy pot over moderately low heat. Whisk in flour and red pepper flakes and cook, whisking, for 3 minutes to make a roux. Whisk in milk in a slow stream, then bring sauce to a boil, whisking constantly. Simmer, whisking occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in cream, cheddar, mustard, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and cover surface of sauce with wax paper to prevent a skin from forming.

Cook the macaroni and assemble the dish. Cook macaroni in a 6 quart pot of boiling salted water (1 tbsp salt per every 4 quarts water) until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water and drain macaroni.

Stir together macaroni, reserved cooking water, and sauce in a large bowl, then transfer to baking dish (mixture will be loose)

Sprinkle topping evenly over macaroni. Bake until top is golden and bubbling, 25 to 35 minutes.

Recipe is from my friend Amy Dries's kitchen