Baked Mac & Cheese

Recipe card - printable PDF

Hardware:

• 2+ gallon stock pot
• 3+ qt. saucier or sauce pot.
• large collander
• large wooden spoon
• wire whisk
• baking dish

Software:

• 3 tbsp. butter
• 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk, scalded
• 1¼ lbs of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 lbs. pasta (elbow noodles are classic)
• ½ cup kosher salt
• 1 tsp. white pepper (optional)
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Procedure:

1. Assemble mise en place (this is the unwritten first step to every recipe ever written)
2. Add 1 gallon of water to stock pot. Add ½ cup kosher salt. Put on high heat covered.
3. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
4. Make light roux with butter and flour in saucier or sauce pot.
5. Remove roux from heat. Add milk and whisk briskly until combined. Add spices.
6. Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat. You now have a basic sauce béchamel
7. Add cheese to béchamel one handful at a time, waiting for each addition to melt completely before adding the next.
8. Taste sauce. Add salt to taste if needed. (this is the last step for any sauce or soup recipe!)
9. Add pasta to boiling water. Boil for half the time the box tells you to, or taste until the noodles are soft on the outside, but still stiff and a little crunchy inside. (you want it very undercooked)
10. Drain pasta. Add directly to sauce, and combine thoroughly.
11. Move pasta and sauce mixture to baking dish. Cook at 350F for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese starts to brown.