mac and cheese [Usually called the doctor. Or the caretaker.]

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radiatore pasta (boil in salted water as usual etc)

bechamel until it is enough
about a cup of shredded cheddar
a good lump of bleu cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper

Stir the two together in an oven safe bowl with a cover, top with breadcrumbs and dabs of butter like a crumble, cover, bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for as long as it takes to wash the dishes by hand. Remove from oven and nom.

For next time: more kinds of cheese, a little dab of mustard, possibly some cayenne pepper, and hopefully washing the dishes in the dishwasher (our dishwasher is supposed to be fixed early next week!).

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There are 10 comments on this entry. (Reply.)

I *love* making suicide M&C with whatever's in the fridge and needs used up. I think it's superb.

manintheboat violently disagrees. She wants *one* kind of cheese, and strongly prefers that be something at least moderately normal.
I think it's the best when it has havarti with dill, gorgonzola, and feta in there.

Just replaced dishwasher. What a lousy job. Hope yours goes quickly and in a suitably desiccated manner. Few things more frustrating than a slow leak somewhere invisible under the dishwasher, that only shows up later when the floor starts to mold.

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The cheddar was good, but I think it needs some more strongly-flavoured cheeses, or else something that's just cheese on crack like edam. Possibly some jack or something. The cheddar gave it a lovely colour though. Maybe also pine nuts in the bread crumbs, finely chopped.

I am getting the hang of bechamels and really proud of myself for it. I made my first bechamel perfectly and then consistently broke them and had to rescue them for the next six years. Quite suddenly about a month ago I found the knack.

Our building repair guy will worry about that; luckily we're on what is euphemistically called the "garden" level so our floors are concrete, and the nearest carpeting is a good six feet away in any direction. The daniel is having trouble with his dishwasher lately too; 'tis the season, I suppose.

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So, what, do you think, is the knack to bechamel?

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I think it's the timing. I'm getting a feel for when to put the flour in, when to add the milk and how much milk to add at a time...I think that's most of it, to be honest. I believe my bechamels usually broke because I put the flour in too late, when all the water from the butter had already boiled away, and then when I added the milk I did it too tentatively and scalded it, and between the milk flash-boiling away and the roux being more like half-burnt wallpaper paste, when I finally grew a pair and added enough milk that it didn't just instantly boil away, the roux would break and the sauce that resulted after I'd managed to rescue it would be grainy.

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Mmmm.. I put mustard powder (Coleman's) into the roux for the bechamel. Sometimes I'll toss in some cayenne then too. I think it develops the flavour better that way.

Our family recipe uses shredded cheddar and parmesan cheese on the top instead of breadcrumbs.

A friend of mine places a layer of sliced tomato in the bottom of the dish she bakes her M&C in. Another friend adds diced bacon to hers.

I'm a purist: Mac. Cheese. Done! However, as long as it's got those lovely little bits of caramelised cheese round the edges, I'll forgive most people their variations.

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I'm like that about lasagna. I don't actually care what people put in it as long as I get an edge piece with all the singed bits of pasta and cheese. :)

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One can cheat by whisking the flour into the hot milk and skipping the roux step.

A dash of horseradish is also tasty.

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I don't mind the roux step, actually.

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I am phenomenally lazy sometimes and just don't want to bother with the roux. It depends on my mood.

My personal favorite mix for M&C is still asiago, jack, and fontina cheeses with teeny cubes of sauteed stick pepperoni, green and red bell peppers, and onions (yeah, I know) and garlic.

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I feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment when I manage to make a real sauce. It's worth the extra trouble. :)

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Usually called the doctor. Or the caretaker.

mac and cheese

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Comfort food is comforting.

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June