A Mac Attack!

Holy Moly.  As I type this my daughter is eating cinnamon toast while making Frankenstein noises, so if this post seems to abruptly end, it's because she's started chasing me and I had to run.

Okay, put down the pitch forks and torches, I'm half kidding.  A while back, I promised some good old fashioned macaroni and cheese, so put down the box of Kraft, bust out a 1-quart casserole dish, and let's do this thing!

You will need:

3 Tbs butter (it doesn't matter if it is salted or not.)
1 small onion (if you hate onions, just use a few good shakes of some onion powder)
2 Tb all-purpose flour
2 cups milk (reg, low-fat, non-fat)
2/3 cup shredded cheddar (about 5 ounces)
1 tsp dry mustard (if you don't have this, use a Tb of any kind of mustard)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
2 dashes of Tabasco sauce (or more if you like your mac with a little kick!)
6 ounces dry elbow macaroni cooked according to package instructions
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1 ounce)

1.  Position the rack in the center of the overn and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter your casserole dish, and set aside.

2.  Melt 3 Tbs of the butter in a medium saucepan and set over medium heat.  reduce the heat to very low, stir in the onion, and cook for five minutes, until soft and golden, stirring frequently.  Don't let the onion brown.  Whisk in the flour and cook for 15 seconds, just so that the flour loses its raw taste.  Do not brown the flour.  Whisk in the milk in a steady, slow stream.  raise the heat to medium and continue cooking and whisking for about 1 minute, or until the mixture returns to a boil and thickens.

3.  Reduce the heat to low and stir inthe Cheddar, dry mustard, pepper, salt and Tabasco sauce.  Continue cooking for 2 more minutes, or until the cheese melts and the mixture is smooth, stirring constantly.  Finally, stir in the cooked macaroni and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Pour the mixture into the casserole dish.

4.  Place the casserole dish into the oven and bake it for 30 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Now if you're like me, and like some extra crunch to your mac and cheese, about five to ten minutes before the casserole is done, mix 1/3 dried bread crumbs (any will do- even panko!) with 1Tbs butter.  Crumble it over the top of the casserole and Wala!  Crunchy topped mac and cheese.

Once you get comfortable with this recipe, get adventurous!  Try it with some fabulous cheese like Gruyere, Gorgonzola, Brie, Camembert, or Asiago!

Happy eating!