My Favorite Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

This is my "grown up" macaroni and cheese recipe. My family loves it and asks for it all the time.

Ingredients:

10 cups water
Kosher or sea salt
3 cups elbow macaroni
1 quart heavy cream
1 clove garlic, peeled and lightly crushed with the back of a knife
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 cup grated Gruyere
1 cup grated medium Cheddar
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt. Taste the water. It should be salty like sea water. Add the macaroni and stir, with a wooden spoon or large slotted spoon. Cook the macaroni about 8 to 10 minutes; it should still be firm.

Reserve 1 cup of the water, then drain the macaroni.

In the same pot, bring the cream, garlic clove, and the reserved cooking liquid to a simmer. Add the mustard, Gruyere and Cheddar cheeses (reserve 1/2 to 1 cup cheese for later). Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer gently, stirring constantly, until the cheese is melted and has integrated with the cream. Add the Parmesan. Stir with a wooden spoon and simmer again until smooth. Add a splash of Worcestershire. Stir to blend. Taste for seasoning.

Remove the garlic clove from the pot. Add the macaroni back to the cheese/cream mixture and stir to blend. Allow the macaroni to rest on the stove, 5 to 10 minutes, so the pasta absorbs the flavors.

Fill a baking dish with the macaroni mixture, top with the bread crumbs, the remaining cheese and bake 10 to 12 minutes or until the bread crumbs crust on top. Serve immediately.

Macaroni and cheese is one of the most popular comfort foods, at least in America. Some believe this favorite dish was created by Thomas Jefferson, who served macaroni and cheese in the White House in 1802.

According to "The Dictionary of American Food and Drink" by John Mariani, macaroni and cheese was first made in the 19th century, but it didn't become the popular dish it is today until Kraft Foods introduced it's version of macaroni and cheese in a box in 1937. Kraft now sells more than a million boxes of macaroni and cheese every day.

There are many versions of homemade mac & cheese ranging from a simple recipe using only noodles and shredded cheese to gourmet versions with white sauces, fish and bread crumbs.

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