Best Mac 'N Cheese? Not entirely.

I've always wanted to try making homemade macaroni and cheese. My husband had tried quite a few years ago to make some, when we were still dating. It was probably a way to try to impress me, alas, it didn't turn out very well (not terrible, but not great) and way too many breadcrumbs were used. 4 years later, it was time to try again. 

I looked for a recipe and found quite a few to choose from. The recipe I found called for Colby Jack and Cheddar cheeses; I like both, so I tried it.  

It wasn't quite as easy as the recipe had me believing, and there will be many things I will change if I were to make it again.


Macaroni and cheese should look something like this...

Mine looked like this...

...not at all what the picture had me believing. 


Maybe I should've just stuck to the baking??


Here's the recipe.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients:
1 lb macaroni (elbow, shells, whatever your preference)
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 1/2 cups milk
4 cups colby cheese, shredded
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste
toasted bread crumb topping*

Bring a pot of water to boil over high heat.  

Add 1 tablespoon of salt and macaroni and cook until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.  

Drain the pasta in a colander and set aside.

Wipe the pot dry, add the butter and set over medium heat until melted.  

Stir in the garlic, mustard and cayenne and cook for about 30 seconds.   

Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute.  

Slowly whisk in the milk and chicken broth.  

                  this is where it went drastically wrong.....

Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often until bubbling and thick, about 15 minutes.  

Off heat, add the cheeses and stir until melted.   Add salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in the pasta, breaking up any clumps.  Pour into a baking dish and sprinkle with crumb topping.


*For the crumb topping, any variation of breadcrumbs and melted butter tossed together.   

You could add some shredded cheese to this or  fresh chopped parsley or chives.   

But the ratio is typically about 1/4 cup breadcrumbs to 1 tablespoon melted butter.  

Bake it for close to 40 minutes. 


I think what happened, is I wasn't patient enough and I may have needed to shred my own cheese.  It didn't taste that bad, but it definitely wasn't the best thing I have ever made.


Next time, patience, it's a virtue.