Macaroni Au Gratin

By ltrodrigu

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups cups (6 ounces) dry elbow macaroni
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 ounces Grana Padano, grated
• 2 ounces Jarlsberg, grated
• 6 ounces white cheddar, grated
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 egg yolk, optional

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from wsj.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat broiler and set a rack just below flame. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add macaroni and cook until just shy of al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta and toss with oil. (There should be about 3 cups of cooked pasta.) Set aside to cool. Wipe saucepan clean.

In a large bowl, combine cheeses. Pour cream into cleaned saucepan, season with salt and set over high heat. Simmer cream until it begins to foam, 3-5 minutes. Stir in noodles, return to a simmer and stir in half the cheese mixture, a handful at a time, waiting until cheese melts before adding more. Season with salt to taste.

Transfer mixture to a 9-inch oven-proof skillet or baking dish. If including egg yolk, create a shallow well in pasta’s center and gently slip yolk in. Moving quickly to prevent over-cooking, carefully and evenly spread remaining cheese over entire dish. Transfer to broiler and broil until cheese melts and browns in spots, about 3 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before serving.