Mac and Cheese (serves 4)

I use three cheeses- sharp white cheddar, gruyere, and parmesan for the topping. The sharpness of the cheddar is balanced by the nutty sweet creaminess of gruyere. However, make sure you use a young gruyere, since aged gruyere is more earthy and complex. I also like to compliment the sharpness of the cheese with the heat of cayenne pepper, pepper flakes, black pepper, and mustard powder. This version of Mac and cheese has a kick! I like a crusty topping, so I use panko bread crumbs. Panko crumbs are used in Japanese cuisine and are lighter, airier, and crisper than western bread crumbs.

Ingredients

3 cups of milk (at least 2%)
½ pound of Barilla elbow macaroni (half a pack or 2 1/2cups of pasta)
2 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup of grated gruyere
¼ to ½ cup of parmesan
¼ cup of flour
4 tbspn butter (1/2 stick)
1 bay leaf
1 tspn cayenne pepper
½ tspn mustard
Nutmeg
Salt to taste (1 tspn)
Black pepper
2/3 cup of panko bread crumbs

1. Heat the broiler to 400 degrees.
2. Heat the milk in a saucepan with the bay leaf.
3. Boil water and then add the noodles. If you are using Barilla pasta, boil for 4-5 minutes. You want to boil the noodles for a time period that is 3 minutes lesser than the manufacturer’s instructions. You want the pasta to cook to a lesser extent than the normal al dente. When you drain the pasta, immediately shock it with cold water to stop the cooking. Run it under cold tap water till it cools down.
4. Take 3 tbspn butter and heat on a pan. When the butter is frothy add the flour. Sauté the flour for around 2minutes, till it turns blonde and smells buttery.
5. Add the cayenne pepper and mustard. Sauté for a few seconds. The flour will turn a red, and turn pink when you add milk.
6. Add a little milk slowly while you keep whisking the flour and the milk in the pan. Slowly add all the milk and remove the bay leaf. Keep whisking to make sure you do not end up with clumps.
7. Cook the sauce till it bubbles and become thick.
8. Now remove the sauce from the heat and add the cheddar and gruyere.
9. Add black pepper. Grate some nutmeg on the top and stir in.
10. Adjust the thickness of the sauce. I end up using a little pasta water to get the right consistency.
11. Add the noodles to the sauce and adjust the salt. I prefer to add salt only after I add the cheese and the noodles to avoid over salting.
12. Pour the needles to four mini gratin dishes. I use 13 oz gratin dishes because I get a better crust with these and the presentation is better. Alternatively you could use a 1.5 quarts casserole dish. Butter the dishes/dish with the remaining (1tbspn) butter.
13. Sprinkle the panko bread crumbs and the parmesan on the top. Cover a sheet pan with tin foil to catch any spills from the mini gratin pans/ casserole dish.
14. Bake till the crust turns golden brown. Should take 15-20 minutes.