Mac and Cheese

Mac and Cheese

1⁄2 cup butter (I use Kerry Gold Butter)
1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon pepper, to taste
1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
1⁄4 teaspoon garlic granules or fresh sauteed garlic
2 cups Whipping Cream
2 cups milk (whole!)
20 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded and divided (shred this yourself!)
10 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (shred this yourself!)
1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni, cooked

DIRECTIONS

In a big skillet (or huge spaghetti pot – I’ve used that as well), melt the butter over medium-high heat.

Whisk the flour in gradually until the mixture is smooth.

Cook and whisk continually for 2 minutes! You want this thick and pasty – but not brown.

Add in salt, pepper, cayenne, and garlic; stir to combine.

Gradually whisk in whipping cream and milk. I whisk in a little cream, then a little milk, then cream, then milk, etc. Whisk the entire time. Do not rush this. Turn on some music and dance / sing while whisking, whisking, whisking.

**Cook and whisk continually for 8-10 minutes or until mixture is thickened**. Do not let it burn on bottom or edges. Use a wooden spoon or wooden spatula to scrape the bottom and edges. Continuously (!) stir with wooden spoon/spatula and alternate with whisk the entire time. It’s ok if it boils up a bit, but whenever it does, I whisk/stir/scrape even faster to aerate, and will also move the pan off the heat just briefly so that it stops, then back on the burner, whisk/stire more, repeat several times as it starts to boil up. You’re trying to get this sauce (basically a bechamel sauce) thick and creamy!! Note: 8-10 minutes is about what it requires, but depending on your pan and your heat, this might take 15 minutes. Again, you are basically looking for a very (!) thick white sauce.

Turn heat to low or even off (I turn to low, but off is fine as the next step should be done quickly).

Add in half of the sharp cheddar cheese; again, using a big wooden spoon or wooden spatula, stir quickly, then add in all of the extra-sharp cheddar cheese; remove pan completely from burner, but keep stirring until smooth. Now that the cheese is in, you do NOT want to keep the pan on heat – so remove from burner as soon as that last bit of cheese is in the pan.

Mix together the cooked macaroni and cheese mixture; transfer to a greased 13×9 inch casserole dish.

Sprinkle with the remaining sharp cheddar cheese.

Bake in a 350° oven for 20 minutes (may need to bake longer for a crispy top if that’s what you like).

You can sub different cheeses for different flavor – again the key is the two step process of first 1) making the roux (whisk, whisk, whisk until thick thick thick!) and 2) slowing whisking the cream/milk in (basically making a bechamel).