I thought I'd change it up a bit and share that I can (and do!) prepare more than just the tail-end of meals. However, this entree is decadent in its own right, given its cheesy and buttery profile. Forgive yourself. You are permitted to indulge in a mac 'n cheese dinner every now and again. Balance out this front-end delicious-ness with a piece of fruit for dessert :)
Gravitating away from meat as the primary source of protein in my diet has been a lifelong process towards better long-term health, and after many years (decades?) I feel more in control of what I put into my body in the following ways:
• I eat far fewer processed foods and more made-from-scratch foods
• I eat far fewer empty carbs in favor of more long-acting carbs
• I stop the process of eating sooner so that I don't become over-filled
Bottom line? I am still tidying up my eating habits...and that's a good thing! But more than ever, I know that a healthy life starts (and keeps going) in the kitchen. Yay!
This is my one and only macaroni and cheese dish. It is rich and cheesy, crispy on the top and soft and gooey underneath. Out of the oven it is a bit molten, but give it some time to cool and it sets up right nice :) It is leftover worthy. It is like a best friend: comforting and there when you call.
Notes
1. This recipe is Alton Brown's, and about the only modification I made is to cut the recipe in half. This is enough to fit into an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 square baking pan. But here I placed it into a 1.5 quart casserole dish.
2. Stewed tomatoes go oh.so.well with mac 'n cheese. Instead, I decided to pre-roast a container of grape tomatoes, an eggplant (skin off and chopped), and a couple garlic cloves. I used a combination of coconut oil and olive oil on the veggies and roasted at 400ºF for about at hour...until the tomatoes were beginning to char. Out of the oven, the roasted veggies went into a bowl to cool down, and I threw in some chopped herbs from the garden (chives, oregano, basil, thyme) to soften in the heat.
Memorable Macaroni and Cheese
from Alton Brown
yield: 4-6 average-size servings
1/4 pound (4 ounces) elbow macaroni
1 and 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 and 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons powdered mustard
1 and 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 egg
6 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded (from a bag)
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
Fresh black pepper
For the topping:
1 and 1/2 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (or any bread crumbs)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray your baking pan or casserole dish with vegetable oil.
2. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente.
3. While the pasta cooks, prepare the custard. In a separate pot (I used a non-stick Dutch oven), melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard powder. Mix for a few minutes until all lumps are out.
4. Add in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for about 10 minutes and then remove the bay leaf.
5. Temper in the egg. To do this, crack the egg into a small dish. Whisk it around the bowl as if you were going to make a scrambled egg.
6. Then add a spoonful of the simmering milk mixture to the egg and mix. Add another spoonful of the milk to the egg bowl and mix.
7. Now you can safely pour the whole egg mix into the warming milk mixture.
8. Add in 3/4 of the cheese (eyeball it). Stir to melt. Add salt (if you're using it) and pepper.
9. Remember the pasta? Drain it, and then fold into the cheesy custard. Pour into your prepared baking pan/casserole dish.
10. Top with the remaining cheese.
11. Prepare the bread crumb topping. Add the bread crumbs to the melted butter and toss with a fork to coat. Sprinkle onto the top of the macaroni and cheese. I sprinkled some extra garden herbs on top of the crumbs.
12. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly around the edges.
13. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
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