Macaroni and Cheese

What's your way?

I'm going to make some tonight and I was amazed at the diversity of opinion (on the 'net, at large) about what makes a good one, whether to make bechamel first, whether to aim for firm or gooey, breadcrumbs on top or not, ....

You're right about the wide variety of this traditional gift. There was an hour long program on Cooking Channel by their cheese guy on the subject. Are you ready for mac and cheese pizza? You can get it in Madison.

Here is my recipe posted here that was designed for a special needs person, my wife. We brought a large dish (double recipe) of it to a potluck recently to be sure she had something to eat. It was the hit of the night!

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=42443

Chio.

What, you mean you're not going the Kraft route?

When we don't do that, I tend to do the bechamel, add the cheese, mix with the pasta, and bake with cheese and bread crumbs to top. I don't know that I've done it any other way.

Are you ready for mac and cheese pizza? You can get it in Madison.

That sounds a bit frightening. Noodles, crust, cheese, cream sauce anything else?

Are you ready for mac and cheese pizza? You can get it in Madison.

That sounds a bit frightening. Noodles, crust, cheese, cream sauce anything else?

That reminds me, my sister makes a pepperoni cheese pizza "dip" that is outstanding. It's always a hit at parties.

[Jenise]

I make mac n' cheese so rarely that I don't have a set way of going about it. When I do give in, Hatch green chiles or fresh crab are generally involved. I never do the bread crumb thing because I love the texture of the crusty noodles better. Love the sides and the bottom, for instance, so much so that I sometimes make individual mac n' cheeses by baking them in a large non-stick muffin tin. The crust is KILLER. I use monterey jack instead of cheddar because I don't like the gritty texture of melted cheddar. And I usually use sour cream in the bechamel. That's about it.

Re the muffin tin... I read about someone who used a bundt pan to bake their mac 'n' cheese. It made a baked pasta ring with lots of crispy sides.

While we're on the topic of muffin tins... Have you ever tried baking white beans (or some other species of bean), as some sort of cecchia or timbale, and gotten it crisp?

As long as it has some shaved truffle in it, I'm not too bothered about the details of the recipe I will cop to preferring drier versions, like penne al forno as it's usually prepared.

Mark Lipton