‘Ultimate’ mac ‘n cheese uses 4 cheeses, crumbled cracker topping
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My love of certain cheeses is no secret in this test kitchen, yet I’ve never had much interest in cooking that ultimate comfort food, mac ‘n cheese — well, except for the lobster mac ‘n cheese recipe I shared in April. That’s one great dish.
Yet when I stumbled on this concoction, I almost had to try it simply because of the four cheese types it uses, all on my list of favorites: Parmesan, Gruyere, mozzarella and cheddar. Melted into the simple yet elegant roux/milk sauce, the combination proved to be as good as it sounded.
The crushed cracker topping, on the other hand, gave me pause. The cheese mix sounded so tasty I wondered if a bunch of Ritz crumbs would add to it or detract from it.
If you try the recipe, consider making the crackers optional depending on your taste. Or maybe just cut back on the amount used, and/or give them a better crushing than I did. You could use crackers on half and leave the other half untopped to see which you like better. If you use crackers, I’d recommend checking on the bake once or twice after about 10 minutes.
Depending on your oven, They can brown fast. I ended up putting some foil (with a few slits in it) on top to keep them from getting too dark.
That said, the author who penned this gave a good, quick explanation of a roux on the 500spatulas.com website, and I share it for those who yearn to expand their cooking knowledge:
“A Roux is a mixture of flour and fat (in this case flour and butter) that is the base for many sauces and soups. The mixture is heated until it thickens and bubbles and provides a nice deep flavor base.
“There are three types of roux, white, blonde, and brown. White roux is the most common type of roux and is primarily used as a thickening agent (cooked ~2-5 minutes). Blonde roux is more of a caramel color and has a fragrant, nutty flavor (cooked ~10 minutes). Brown roux is deeply caramelized and a maple color mixture and is often made with oil and flour, rather than butter. The oil tends to result in a thinner finished product, but one that is incredibly flavorful (cooked ~30 minutes).”
I shook the flour into the butter through a small metal strainer to reduce the odds of lumpy roux. And be forewarned, cooking down the roux and milk mix on medium-low heat takes some time and patience. You may be tempted to crank up the heat, or to walk away and reduce the amount of stirring. Neither is a good idea. Even with near-constant stirring, I got a little coating on the bottom of the pan by the time it was done.
Yet except for the shredding and stirring, this is a very easy and very tasty dish.
Talia Kornfeld’s Ultimate Mac & Cheese
1 pound elbow pasta or tube noodle of choice
8 teaspoons butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk, warmed
2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded
½ cup Gruyere, shredded
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
1 cup Parmesan, shredded
25-30 Ritz crackers crushed into crumbs (approximately 1 sleeve)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the elbow pasta for approximately 8 minutes, until al dente. Drain the pasta and set aside (we’re going to reuse the pot, so no need to wash).
OK, back to the pot we used for the pasta. We’re going to make a roux (a mixture of flour and fat, in this case butter) as the base for our sauce. Melt the butter in the pot over medium low heat. Once melted, add in the flour, stirring constantly until the roux is golden and bubbling. Gradually add in the warm milk and continue to stir, cooking it down until smooth and thickened.
This will start to look like pancake batter when ready. Turn off the heat.
Add in all the cheese and stir until smooth and all the cheese is melted. Add your cooked noodles into the cheese sauce and stir until coated. Pour the cheesy noodles into the prepared baking dish and top with the cracker crumbles. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes and enjoy your cheesy masterpiece.