Not My Mother's Mac 'N Cheese

I was never a big fan of macaroni and cheese. It's not that my mother wasn't a decent cook but several factors prevented her from really excelling. The first was that my father was an Army officer which in the 50's meant pretty low pay even at his rank. The second reason was that we were all voracious eaters so meals had to be plentiful no matter what else they were. The third reason probably had to do with the general lack of the decent ingredients that we can get more easily these days. Even my local grocery store carries a variety of cheeses, even a variety of cheddars, but back in my childhood the selection was much smaller and of course my mother's purse was much lighter as well.

But now I make a mac and cheese based on Thomas Keller's from several of his restaurants and it is so good you might even want it for dessert--seriously. It starts with his mornay sauce. As I wrote previously, it's just my husband and me so I don't make a huge amount but this amount makes enough mac and cheese for two with some extra as long as you don't get greedy.

1 1/2 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup fine dice Spanish onion
salt
1 1/2 tablespoons  all purpose flour
1 cup milk (I use 2%)
1/2 cup cream
1 small bay leaf, fresh is best but dried works as well
2 black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
Some grated nutmeg
Some freshly ground pepper

In a small saucepan melt the butter then stir in the chopped onion. Cook on low heat for two to three minutes then stir in the flour. Cook another couple of minutes but don't brown the flour or the onions.Stirring constantly, pour in the milk and the cream and whisk or stir until the flour and milk are not lumpy at all (except for the onion of course). Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, and add the remaining ingredients. On your very lowest temperature, stir for about 30 minutes. While it doesn't have to be constant, it does need to be watched and stirred every couple of minutes. Do not let it scorch on the bottom. After 30 minutes the sauce will be very thick. Pour it through a sieve into a large measuring cup or small bowl. I always help the process by using my pestle from my mortar and pestle but you can use a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to push the sauce through while leaving behind the bay leaf and the onions and the whole spices. At this point you can taste for salt keeping in mind that there will be cheese and probably ham in the final dish. Put to one side or refrigerate with plastic wrap touching the surface while you make the rest of the dish.

Keller only uses a little bit of Comte or Emmentaler cheese (3 tablespoons) but I like mine a little cheesier and I have used Gruyere or a nice sharp cheddar as well. I use about 1/2 to 3/4 cup grated cheese in my dish.
Then you can get really fancy with how you do this. The original from Keller's restaurant uses a variety of wild mushrooms sliced thinly and sauteed in butter briefly and some small amount of prosciutto or other drier ham. I use mostly sliced crimini mushrooms (sliced, and sauteed) but I stick to the 2 ounces or so of prosciutto. But obviously you can use lobster or crab or even leftover cooked chicken. This is not when you want hot dogs though.

For two people I cook about a cup of raw macaroni (elbows or small shells) until slightly undone. If the recommended time is 8 minutes then aim for more like 7 minutes. Drain and place into a greased baking dish of at least the size to hold the macaroni and the sauce. My go to dish is my 50 year old Corning ware but even an oven proof mixing bowl works, but deeper is better--don't use your gratin dish. Stir in your mornay sauce. It will probably need to be thinned just a little with some milk or cream, especially if it has waited in the refrigerator. Stir in the mushrooms and ham and the shredded cheese (leaving some for the top), trying to make sure everything is evenly distributed. Top with the last of the cheese and bake at 350F for about 30 minutes. Serve piping hot.

Now you can leave out the mushrooms and the ham and still have a delicious side dish. You can add more ham and only need a green salad or vegetable for a complete meal. You can go fully decadent with the lobster or crab. No matter what you pick, this is practically irresistible and that's from someone who never really liked macaroni and cheese growing up.