Saturday, April 28, 2012

Amazing, Restaurant-Style Mac 'N' Cheese

Difficulty: Beginner

A short time ago I tried this thick, creamy recipe. It took me years of melting cheese over drained pasta to figure out the secret to making delicious macaroni and cheese, and now I won't make it any other way. The trick is to make the sauce in a separate saucepan from the noodles. This means you'll have another pot to wash, but it is so worth it for this incredibly easy, excruciatingly yummy dish. All you need:

About 1 and 1/2 cups cooked macaroni (or other preferred noodles)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 teaspoons flour (cornstarch may work as substitute, but use less)
About 1/4 cup milk
At least 2/3 cup of two or more types of cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Optional: shake of garlic powder, depending on cheese choices

In a small pot, melt butter or margarine on medium-low heat. Slowly add flour, stirring to avoid lumps, until a thick paste is formed. Add milk slowly, stirring. Let sit on medium heat until mixture becomes hot and begins to steam. Add cheeses slowly. (I tend to use an Italian five-cheese blend, cheddar, and mozzarella, but American and Monterrey Jack are also good choices.) Stir until cheeses are melted. The mixture should be thick like warm taffy. If it is not thick enough, add more cheese until you reach desired consistency. If the mixture is too thick, adjust by adding milk incrementally. Pour mixture over well-strained noodles. If noodles have excess water, this will cause the sauce to become more runny and less thick and creamy. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Enjoy!

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