Macaroni and Cheese

By cjbrose50

Ingredients

• 4 cups Dried Macaroni
• 1 whole Egg, Beaten
• 1/4 cup (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
• 1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
• 2-1/2 cups Whole Milk
• 2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired
• 1 pound Cheese, Grated
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
• 1/2 teaspoon Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 30mins
Adapted from thepioneerwoman.com

Preparation

Step 1

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And cheese. One glorious, beautiful pound of freshly grated cheese. I’m using all sharp cheddar today, but I almost always mix cheeses: Colby, Monterey Jack, Fontina, Mild Cheddar, Pepper Jack…even a little Gruyere if I allow myself to be in denial about how expensive it is.

Cook 4 cups dried macaroni until it’s very “al dente”. Keep in mind that we’ll be baking the macaroni after we mix it together, so it needs to be quite firm when you bring it out of the water. I usually test a macaroni noodle about 5 minutes into the cooking process—if it’s too firm to serve and eat immediately, it’s time to take it off the stove and drain it.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg. Set aside.

Add a good teaspoon or so of salt to the water.

Whisk the mixture together over medium-low heat (careful not to burn!) until totally combined…

Then continue cooking for around 5 minutes, whisking constantly.

Pour in 2 1/2 cups whole milk. You could use 1% or 2%…but why?

Seriously, the fat content in the whole milk, in my opinion, makes for a creamier, more delicious mac & cheese. But I’m not here to make anyone’s choices for them so feel free to use a lower fat milk product.

You could certainly add another teaspoon with impunity…but see how 2 tastes first. If you like it, dump in some more.

Now, whisk the mixture together and cook for about 5 minutes. It will get extremely thick, almost like a cream gravy.

At that point, reduce the heat to low. Use a 1/4 cup measure to retrieve a small amount of the sauce.

Pour the small amount of sauce into the beaten egg slowly…

Begin whisking constantly to avoid cooking the eggs.

Keep whisking until mixture is cooled. This is called “tempering”: rather than dump the beaten egg into the very hot mixture in the pan—which would result in the eggs scrambling—you introduce some of the hot mixture into the egg.

Whisk it together…

Until totally combined.

And stir together until it’s all melted. Go ahead and turn off the heat.

Now it’s time for seasoning! Add about 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (I used Lawry’s.) If you’re sensitive to salt, start really low and work your way up…and remember that the cheese imparts quite a bit of salt to the mix.

And finally, add plenty of black pepper, of the Black Dust variety. Honestly, I love freshly ground pepper…but not in homemade Mac & Cheese. For me, it has to be the powdery stuff.

And stir the mixture together.

I use a little less than the full amount of cooked macaroni, because I love it extra creamy and coated. Just add it according to how you like it.

Now, you can either dish it up as it is right now, which makes for an ultra-creamy love fest…

OR you can pour the macaroni into a buttered baking dish. This is a 2-quart dish, but a 9 x 13 pan would work just fine.

Egg, Beaten

In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.

Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.

Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.

Add in cheese and stir to melt.

Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.

Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Oh my goodness! That looks sinful. I can’t wait to make it.

Hmmmm… can it beat Scott Peacock’s version?

I LOVE mac and cheese. I make mine with Gouda and put some sausage in there with carmelized onions- oh and I always use the long spiral noodles that start with a C. This weekend I am going all out with truffle butter, guyere and sharp white cheddar.. mmmmm….

My recipe is very similar, but I haven’t tried the egg part before. You absolutely MUST try adding a little Worcestershire sauce next time. You’ll never go back.

I make mine very similar to this. I use white pepper, cayenne, and brown rice pasta (Tinkyada brand.) Yum and my girls ask for it again and again. So much better than the boxed stuff, no comparrison really.

I use a blend of Fontina, Gruyere and white cheddar. It is just amazing. Very decadent and expensive, but sooooo worth it!

Sometimes, if I’m feeling perky, I add pepperoni or canned diced tomatoes (or Rotel) to mine…so GOOD.

YUM YUM YUM indeed! now i see why you suggested 10,000 minutes on the treadmill (I guess I shouldn’t have cheated at 25 minutes and got off)

I trust you when you advice to add an egg . It makes sense . Fluffy mac and cheese , right ?

YUM!! I could eaty Mac N Cheese every day! I make mine very similar to yours, except I use Evaporated Milk instead of regulat milk. Try it…..just trust me!

Daddy Scratches

DaddyScratches.com

Yum yum yum yum yum is right, & I always love how happy it makes the kids.

Great classic recipe for Mac & Cheese with an interesting addition of an egg! Never thought of that, but I would guess it gives a little lift and puff to it, no?

I just bought some cute Easter shaped pasta noodles to make mac & cheese for Easter lunch. I’ll try your recipee on Sunday!

Oh yummmmm. I have never been able to make a good mac and cheese but I will definitely try this recipe. Thanks!

YUMM ! Gouda , sausage, and caramelized onions – wow .. that sounds like a delicious addition .. Thanks for the idea .

Isn’t macaroni and cheese the best? It’s the dish that I always get asked to make for family get-togethers, like for Easter this Sunday.

This is very nearly like my mac and cheese recipe, except for the egg. And now I’m intrigued and will have to try this egg-y version for myself. Too bad I can’t make macaroni and cheese at work or I’d do it right now.

To get some vegatables into my picky eater of a two year old I’ve started substituting a cup of cheese for a cup of pureed butternut squash. Jessica Seinfield gave me the idea. It makes for a very creamy M&C with a wonderful taste to it!

I’ll definitely give your recipe a try. Does it dry out when you bake it though? Whenever I bake my M&C it dries out and all the creamy goodness is just gone! So I stopped baking it but I will sometimes add Ritz & melted butter to the top and broil it for a couple of minutes to get that crunch. Be careful with this though. I set it on fire one day! Luckily I was watching it. Now that was crunchy on top!

OMG! It’s 8 in the morning and I think I’ll have to make mac ‘n cheese for breakfast!! I like the addition of the dry mustard! Thanks!

Now I’m hungry and thinking I HAVE to make this right away! Guess I have to get dressed and make a store run. Thanks

We LOVE mac & cheesy goodness at our house!! Most of the time I make it in the crockpot, it’s so easy that way, but I will definitely give yours a try, maybe this weekend! Looks YUM-O!!! I can feel it sticking to the thighs just looking at it!

I make a very similar mac and cheese and it is so yummy.

I also make a Ranch mac and cheese that is heavenly!!

and so will my family after I make this for them tonight!!!!!

Thanks for another great recipe, Ree! I, too, lived on mac’n’cheese alone until age 14. My parents still remark on how they never thought I would eat anything else.. Thankfully, at 27, I’ve broadened my food horizons, but I still love of bowl of cheesy goodness. Mmmm….can’t wait to make this next week!

Oh my goodness… that looks amazing. If only I could eat that for breakfast and not feel guilty. You’re totally right, whenever I decide to make that, I will then have to get on the treadmill for the rest of my days. Thanks!

MMMMMM! You’ve inspired me, Ree!! This is exactly how I make my mac n cheese, but with 2 exceptions. I season mine with nutmeg (I use nutmeg in everything w/ dark greens or cheese), and I sprinkle the top w/ a bread crumbs and cheese mixed together.

I will have to make this ASAP. I haven’t done this with an egg before. Looks good!

I love homemade Mac and Cheese! I put Progresso bread crumbs on top of mine and it makes a wonderful crusty to the top!

http://simmersizzleandserve.blogspot.com

I used to make a similar dish, except the recipe called for fresh parmesan in a white sauce… and extra sharp chedder…. but no egg or mustard stuff….

Looks so good!! I am going to have to try and make this for sure!!!

Yep, I agree! Roux and mustard are totally the secrets to mac n cheese! I’ve been working in small batches to try to make a convincingly cheeseless mac n cheese (not sure why, exactly, other than it’d be neat). So far, cheese beats all. =( . . . or =) depending how you view my ongoing failure.

Melt a couple tablespoons of butter and stir in a cup of seasoned panko crumbs. Top the macaroni with the extra cheese AND the panko crumbs, then bake. Give it a great crispy top!

Thanks I have to make a mac-n-cheese for Eater dinner. I have my old stand by recipe. but i thinki’ll give this one a try this time around!!

Mac n Cheese makes the world go round….thanks Ree!

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