Happy Halloween! Macaroni and Cheese ~ (It's Martha Stewart's Version)

Am I the last one to try Martha Stewart's Macaroni & Cheese recipe? Rich and creamy, with no odd ingredients to get in the way of the delicious cheesy flavor.

I don't know why I waited so long!

Here it is ready for the bread crumb topping. In the sauce, and for the cheese finish I used a combination of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar cheese, imported Jarlsberg and Pecorino Romano.

I only made two changes; I used Panko crumbs tossed in melted butter for the topping, and added a teaspoon of dry mustard powder to the cheese sauce.

Piping hot, right out of the oven...

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But WAIT!

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It looks rather plain.

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and it IS

HALLOWEEN ~

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I'm not sure Martha would approve ~

but it was fun, and the Macaroni & Cheese recipe is excellent!

It's very rich, and best served with something rather light in calories, and flavor ~ I served steamed broccoli florets, along with vinaigrette dressed Angel Hair cabbage slaw.

Martha Stewart's Macaroni and Cheese

Serves 12

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for casserole

6 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to l/2-inch pieces (I used 1 cup of large size Panko crumbs tossed in 2 Tablespoons of melted butter.)

5 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for water

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese

2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyère or

1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano cheese

(I used a combination of each)

I added 1 teaspoon of dry mustard powder when adding the other seasonings

1 pound elbow macaroni

Preheat oven to 375° F, rack in center position.

Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside.

Bring the water to a boil for the pasta:

Set a very large pot of water ,covered, over high heat.

In the meantime proceed with the recipe~

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, when melted, toss with bread in a medium size bowl. Set aside.

~OR~

Melt butter in a medium size frying pan, when butter is melted add Panko crumbs and toss until crumbs are thoroughly coated. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat (or in Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave)

Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Slowly pour in the hot milk a bit at a time to avoid lumps. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyère (or 1 cup Pecorino Romano); set the cheese sauce aside.

When the large pot of water has come to a boil, salt it generously and stir in the macaroni and cook until al dente (or until almost done. Pour macaroni into a colander placed in the sink, rinse quickly under cold running water, and drain well.

Add the macaroni into the cheese sauce and mix gently but well until the sauce covers all of the macaroni evenly.

Transfer the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese, then with the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Time will vary a bit depending upon the size and depth of your baking vessel.

Allow the casserole to cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes, then serve.

Proclaimed delicious!

~Happy Halloween~

From My House,

to Yours!