mac and cheese recipe – use real butter (2024)

Recipe: mac and cheese (two ways)

We are basically following the rhythmic swing of a pendulum between snow and sun. What I’m preparing at home mimics this oscillation: salads and springy foods to soups, bakes, and comfort foods. Comfort foods like mac and cheese. Mac and cheese is like chocolate cake for me – I’m always on the prowl for the best recipe.

Growing up, I was aware of two kinds of mac and cheese: Kraft mac and cheese and the kind that you got in school cafeterias. I can’t really endorse either one. It wasn’t until the last decade that I’ve begun to enjoy mac and cheese. That’s probably because I’ve been eating at better restaurants and they put things like lobster in their mac and cheese. I tend to prefer the creamy versions that have a baked crust of cheese and bread crumbs. And I like penne over elbow macaroni because elbow macaroni is squirrely. So when I see a recipe titled “World’s Best Mac and Cheese”, I’m eager to put it to the test.

This version of mac and cheese is based on a bechamel sauce made of butter, flour, and milk. When the sauce is hot and thickened, the cheeses are stirred in and you have your cheese sauce. It is lightly seasoned with some garlic powder and chipotle powder. I didn’t have chipotle powder, but I found some in the bulk spice section of my local Whole Foods. [I’m pretty sure I could find it at Savory Spice Shop, which I shall do in the future because I love them.] It adds a dimension of spice and smoke to the dish.

You can make the cheese sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to three days in an airtight container. Since the sauce recipe makes four cups and the mac and cheese recipe only calls for two cups, I saved half of it for later (another batch of mac and cheese won’t hurt anybody). From here, it’s easy street. Cook the pasta as you normally would, but drain it two minutes earlier because it will continue to cook when you bake it. Mix the pasta with the cheese sauce and spread it in a baking dish. Top it off with some shredded cheddar and Gruyère and then sprinkle a little chipotle powder over it.

Bake for twenty minutes and you’ve got creamy, gooey, melty mac and cheese. I liked the chipotle powder, but I think I prefer to keep it on the milder end. I’m not crazy for overpowering smokey flavors. If you don’t like smokey at all, then perhaps try red chile powder instead. If you don’t like heat, maybe a dash of paprika will work. The main thing that kept me from believing that this was the world’s BEST mac and cheese was the bechamel sauce texture. It was ever so slightly gritty and I wanted a buttery smooth sauce. It’s possible that I hadn’t cooked my roux enough, although light brown is supposed to suffice.

I wasn’t satisfied with the recipe as it was, so I looked around for alternative sauces. There are archives of people debating the virtues of bechamel cheese sauce versus custard-based cheese sauce for mac and cheese. Custard-based sounded right up my alley, so I started round two. I opted for fresh garlic over garlic powder and reduced the flour to a tablespoon.

Add the milk to the butter and stir until it just starts to boil. Turn the heat off and place two egg yolks in a medium bowl. Slowly pour the hot milk into the bowl while constantly whisking the yolks and the milk together. This process is called tempering (not the same as tempering chocolate) and the purpose is to heat the yolks a little at a time so they don’t curdle (cook) from the shock of adding the hot liquid all at once. When half of the milk mixture has been combined with the yolks, pour it all back into the saucepan and stir constantly over medium heat. Scrape the bottom of the pan to keep the custard from cooking. It will thicken noticeably in a few minutes and that’s when you add the cheese.

I held back on the chipotle powder this time in the hopes that the garlic would have a little more presence, although I think a pinch might have been nice in the sauce. From this point, the recipe is the same as the first version: cook the pasta two minutes shy of being done, mix the drained pasta with the sauce, pile it into a baking dish. Cheddar and Gruyère are distributed over the top and then some bread crumbs, because I like the crunch.

Both versions are very good and it’s a matter of your own preference – bechamel or custard. Try your own favorite combination of cheeses too. I’m a neophyte when it comes to cheese, so I tend to stick to the standards. There are probably way more impressive ones to incorporate. The custard-based mac and cheese is smoother to me, although I think I’d like mine to be a little more saucy (maybe bump the milk to three cups and the egg yolks from two to three). Of the two versions, I prefer #2. World’s best mac and cheese? Probably not, but they’re damn good. The search goes on!

Mac and Cheese (Two Ways)
[print recipe]
from World’s Best Mac and Cheese

version #1: bechamel sauce version

butter to grease baking dish
6 oz. penne
2 cups Beecher’s cheese sauce (see below)
1 oz. (1/4 cup) cheddar cheese, grated
1 oz. (1/4 cup) Gruyère cheese, grated
1/4-1/2 tsp chipotle powder

beecher’s cheese sauce
makes 4 cups – you only need 2 cups for the recipe
4 tbsps unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
14 oz. (3 1/2 cups) cheddar cheese, grated or shredded
2 oz. (1/2 cup) jack cheese, grated or shredded
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4-1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder

Make the sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan over high heat. When the butter is completely melted and begins to bubble, add the flour all at once and whisk it for 2 minutes. It will turn brownish, just keep whisking. Slowly add the milk while constantly whisking. Continue to whisk until the sauce thickens which should be about 10 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat. Stir in the cheddar and jack cheeses, salt, chipotle powder, and garlic powder until the cheese is melted (about 3 minutes). This sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Makes 4 cups.

Make the mac and cheese: Butter an 8-inch square or otherwise shaped baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook the penne 2 minutes less than the package instructions indicate. Drain the pasta and rinse in cold water. Place the pasta in a large bowl and gently mix with 2 cups of cheese sauce. Pour the pasta and cheese sauce into the baking dish. Sprinkle the cheddar and Gruyère cheeses evenly over the pasta. Sprinkle the chipotle powder over the cheeses. Bake for 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

version #2: custard-based sauce version

butter for baking dish
6 oz. penne
custard cheese sauce
1 oz. (1/4 cup) cheddar cheese, grated
1 oz. (1/4 cup) Gruyère cheese, grated
1/4 cup bread crumbs

custard cheese sauce
makes 2+ cups
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsps unsalted butter
1 tbsp flour
2 cups whole milk
2 egg yolks
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 oz. jack cheese, shredded
black pepper to taste
pinch chipotle powder

Make the custard cheese sauce: On a cutting board, sprinkle the salt over the minced garlic and mash it with the flat of a knife. Place the butter in a saucepan and melt it over medium high heat. Add the salt and garlic paste, stirring until the garlic becomes fragrant. Stir in the flour. Slowly pour the milk into the pan, whisking constantly until just starts to boil. Remove the pan from the heat. Place the two egg yolks in a medium bowl. While whisking the yolks, ladle a cup of the hot milk into the bowl and make sure the yolks are completely incorporated. Add another ladle of milk into the bowl while whisking. Pour the egg yolk-milk mixture back into the saucepan and set the flame on medium high. Stir with the whisk constantly until the sauce thickens (a few minutes). Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the cheddar and jack cheeses. Add a little black pepper and a pinch of chipotle powder to taste. Makes 2+ cups.

Make the mac and cheese: Butter an 8-inch square or otherwise shaped baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook the penne 2 minutes less than the package instructions indicate. Drain the pasta and rinse in cold water. Place the pasta in a large bowl and gently mix with the custard cheese sauce. Pour the pasta and cheese sauce into the baking dish. Sprinkle the cheddar and Gruyère cheeses evenly over the pasta. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Bake for 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

more goodness from the use real butter archives

crab mac and cheese

martha’s mac and cheese

fondue

butternut squash pasta sauce

April 3rd, 2013: 11:51 pm
filed under baking, bread, cheese, dairy, eggs, pasta, recipes, savory