Macaroni and Cheese

By dmscott52

Excellent, worth the effort.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni, large size
• 4 T. (1/2 stick ) butter
• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 3 cups whole or low fat milk ( 1% or 2 % work fine)
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 10 ounces sharp white Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 2-1/2 cups)
• 4-5 ounces Gruyere cheese, coarsely grated ( about 1 cup)
• 2 ounces dry Jack, ( I use monterey jack) finely grated ( about 1/4 cup).

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Butter a 1-1/2 quart casserole. Set aside.

3. Bring medium size pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook 2-3 minutes less than package directions suggest. Drain and rinse with cold water.

4. In a large saute pan melt 1 T. of the butter. Add the bread crumbs and stir until thoroughly coated. Put the crumbs on a small plate and set aside. Wipe out the pan wit a paper towel and set aside.

5. In a small saucepan, heat milk over medium heat until very hot but not scalded.

6. In the saute pan melt the remaining 3 T. butter over medium heat. When the butter begins to bubble, add the flour and stir until cooked, about 1 minute. Slowly pour in the hot milk and whisk continuously until all the milk is incorporated and the sauce has begun to thicken about 5 minutes.

7. Remove the pan from the heat and add the salt, black pepper, cayenne(optional), 1-1/2 cups of the cheddar, 3/4 cups of the gruyere and all the monterey jack. Mix well until all the cheese has melted.

8. Add the cooled macaroni to the cheese sauce and pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar and gruyere, and top with the bread crumbs.

9. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the bread crumbs ar golden brown and the casserole is bubbling. Let sit for 5 minutes, then serve.