Mac ‘n’ cheese can have an infinite array of components
BY: Jane Touzalin
A portion of macaroni and cheese served in a skillet.
Start a pot of pasta water on the stove, and it boils down to this: You can
make macaroni and cheese 365 days a year and never do it the same way twice.
With a nearly infinite array of potential components, this most American of
comfort foods also can be Mexican, Indian, Italian, Greek, French or any cuisine
in which cheese is a given. Even a modestly stocked pantry allows you to grab
and get going. Flour and butter become a roux, the roux becomes a bechamel, the
bechamel becomes a cheese sauce, and dinner is not far away.
There’s really no reason not to make it yourself, although these days you can
also get your mac-and-cheese fix in a slew of restaurants, even at the high end;
and a growing list of areas are home to a recent phenomenon, the mac-and-cheese
restaurant.
Robert Dunn, a Connecticut entrepreneur, opened Macdaddy’s Macaroni and
Cheese Bar in affluent Monroe, Conn., 70 miles outside Manhattan, last July and
says sales have been “just unbelievable. . . . I go through a thousand pounds of
macaroni a week.” He just sold a franchise for 10 locations in Texas, plans
three more in Connecticut, says he is “close to making a deal” for five stores
in California.
Home cooks can take that same approach, turning favorite flavor combinations
into cheesy casseroles. Chicken, celery, blue cheese and wing sauce make Buffalo
chicken mac and cheese. Corned beef, sauerkraut and rye bread crumbs make Reuben
mac and cheese. Caramelized onions and Gruyere evoke French onion soup. And so
on. It’s a far cry from the days when Mom stirred hot dog slices or canned tuna
into the mix.
It’s also a far cry from what mac-and-cheeseheads refer to as “the blue box.”
Kraft introduced its boxed mac and cheese in 1937, near the end of the Great
Depression, and it remains the pre-eminent store-bought brand today, despite
inroads made by Annie’s Homegrown and other competitors. (On Facebook: 727,469
“Likes” for Kraft, 219,316 for Annie’s.) But even Kraft has evolved with the
times, and its products now include such flavors as Sharp Cheddar and Bacon,
Cheesy Alfredo and Extreme Cheese Explosion.
MUSHROOM AND SPINACH MACARONI AND CHEESE
For the topping:
3 slices good-quality white sandwich bread (about 3 ounces total), torn into
rough pieces
2 tablespoons (¼ stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 equal pieces
For the pasta and cheese:
½ pound dried elbow macaroni or other small, shaped pasta
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
3 tablespoons flour
¾ teaspoon powdered mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
2½ cups whole, low-fat or nonfat milk, warmed or at room temperature
4 ounces fontina or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (1 cup)
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, such as Cabot Smooth Sharp, shredded (1 cup)
½ pound mushrooms, sliced and sauteed
5 ounces chopped, cooked spinach, excess moisture squeezed out
For the topping: Combine the bread and butter in a food processor;
pulse 10 to 15 times to yield a coarse crumb mixture.
For the pasta and cheese: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Have an
8-by-8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish at hand.
Cook macaroni in salted water following the package directions; drain.
Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; add the shallot and
cook for 1 minute, stirring. Add flour, powdered mustard and cayenne pepper, if
using; stir well to combine, continuing until the mixture deepens in color,
about 1 minute; stir in milk. Boil, constantly scraping the bottom of the pan to
prevent scorching; this step will take 10 to 15 minutes. (The mixture must reach
a full boil to fully thicken.)
Reduce heat to medium-low so that the mixture is barely bubbling around the
edges; cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has
thickened to the consistency of heavy cream.
Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheeses and the remaining ½ teaspoon of
salt until the cheeses are completely melted. Add pasta, mushrooms, spinach and
stir.
Transfer mixture to the baking dish, spreading it in an even layer. Sprinkle
evenly with topping. Bake until the mixture is bubbling and the crumbs are
golden brown, about 20 minutes.
— Adapted from a recipe by Cook’s Illustrated
Cheese & eggs with Bill & Sheila
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