mac and cheese

unctuous, cheesy, creamy, gooey, and also crunchy

i want to say a huge thank you – this month marks one year of playing with food, and i am so grateful that you are here! i have had so much fun sharing my cooking diary and baking experiments with you. receiving messages from you, and seeing you make my recipes, warms my heart and will always be the best part of my day/week/month. 

to celebrate the beginning of the second year, i am offering subscriptions at 20% off the standard annual subscription price (this offer will last for one week)!

i’m sending out one last recipe for your thanksgiving table, this one ahead of the paywall, for mac and cheese. if you’re looking for other thanksgiving dishes, i’ve also published recipes for, sticky toffee pumpkin cake, mile-high apple pie, and turkey pot pie (which can be made with your thanksgiving leftovers).

speaking of thanksgiving leftovers, if a pot pie is too much work, or you just want something cheesy and easy and soul-warming, that’s coming next week, but i’m pretty sure this mac and cheese would also be delicious with some leftover roasted brussels sprouts mixed in.

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mac and cheese

this has been my go to recipe for years, which if i dare say myself, is pretty perfect - i think it’s the best one i’ve ever had (although i know we all look for different things in a mac and cheese). its unctuous, cheesy (as it should be when using near equal weights of cheese and pasta), creamy, gooey, and also crunchy from the cracker crumbs on top. 

since this is a high ratio of cheese:pasta, you absolutely can cut all the ingredients in the cheese sauce by 1/4th or increase the pasta by 1/3rd (aka adding 150g of dried pasta or using 600g in total) and still get a really delicious result that is a little less intense. just be sure to add some extra milk (about 150g) to keep the sauce nice and fluid.

i have personally prepared a batch in advance, and it is hanging out in my freezer, and i have not yet decided whether i will make it on thanksgiving, or bake it off to add something to the leftovers i’m sure we will be devouring in the days after. 

please do note, there is one hard to find ingredient in the recipe - sodium citrate (this product is not available at grocery stores and you will likely need to order it online, i would recommend doing so now so that it comes in time) - this stabilizer keeps the cheese from splitting into an oily mess without adding any flavor. if you do not use it, the sauce will split.

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this recipe can be prepared in advance with some tweaks

option 1 - the method i would suggests: you can just make the cheese sauce 1-2 days in advance, store in the fridge until ready to use (try to remember to let it come up to room temp), then cook the pasta for half the suggested cook time, then drain the pasta and add in your cheese sauce and bake as directed.

option 2: just make the recipe as listed and instead of putting the cheese sauce covered pasta in a baking dish, put it in a storage container. put the crackers in a separate tightly sealed container. store both items in the fridge overnight. then a few hours before you want to bake it remove from the fridge and let come to room temperature. when ready to bake, add some very hot water to the tub with the pasta to thin it out (the starches in the pasta will have made the sauce thicken overnight) unfortunately i have never measured how much hot water i am adding, but start at 100g, but it may be higher (it honestly could be up to 200g). you’re just trying to get it to a scoopable consistency where it’s not one big homogenous block. then proceed with baking as advised.

further in advance - option 2: follow all the directions as listed above, but store in the freezer instead, and allow for more time for it to come up to room temperature.

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recipe

cracker crumbs:

50g butter

1 sleeve of butter or saltine crackers crushed

mac and cheese:

1lb pasta (aka 454g) a shape that holds a sauce well

1lb cheese (aka 454g) cheddar or a mix of cheeses that melt decently well and are punchy - I use mostly cheddar, (sometimes i add some comte/gruyere if i have it on hand) and about 50g of parm

45g butter 

30g flour 

800g-850g whole milk (start with 800g — if, after adding the pasta the texture looks perfect, add some more milk to the pot and stir to combine, when you bake the pasta with the sauce it will thicken, so we want it a little looser than how you would like to eat it before putting it in the oven.*)

2 1/2 tsp sodium citrate 

6g salt 

lots of black pepper

optional flavorings: (I wouldn’t use all of them at once but I generally use 2-3 each time I make)

• 1/4-1/2 tsp nutmeg

• 1/2-1 tsp mustard

• hot sauce 

• a few dashes of maggi jugo and/or 3/4 teaspoon of Worcestershire 

• powdered garlic and/or onion

• any other spices or seasonings that you like!

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pre-heat your oven to 375f.

melt the butter for the crumb topping, then stir in your crushed crackers and set aside.

boil your pasta for half(!) the total cook time. then drain and set aside.

while the pasta is cooking, grate your cheese. at the same time and warm your milk so that it is steaming (do not bring to a boil)

make the bechamel: put a pot over medium heat and melt your butter. add in the flour and whisk to combine and cook for one minute. then add in your optional flavorings. then begin whisking in the milk, adding about 1/2 cup in at a time - too much at once and you’ll break the sauce. whisk the sauce as you incorporate the milk and bring to a boil each time before you add more milk. when you’re nearing the end of the milk, add in the salt, black pepper, and sodium citrate. whisk to combine. 

assembly: once all the milk has been added and the sauce has returned to a full boil turn the heat off and mix in your cheese one or two handfuls at a time. then mix it into your pasta. see if you need to add some more milk*. pour into a baking dish, add on top your cracker crumbs. 

bake on a middle rack in your oven for 25 minutes, or until bubbling and crackers are browned.

serve immediately