Cheddar Mac n' Cheese with Breadcrumb Topping

I have to admit, I'm pretty good in the kitchen. Not bad when it comes to cooking (thank you Germany for helping to push along my culinary skills) and I'm pretty phenomenal when it comes to baking. However, there are always a few items that seem to turn out not-quite-right every time I make them. First it was the perfect cookie dough. But I mastered that one. Next up is the perfect mac and cheese. After 8 tries and hubby getting sick of the attempts I have finally got a winner that deserves at least 15 minutes of fame.

So here's the ingredients picture. I thought about leading off with the finished product...but it was soooo delicious that a little suspense seemed in order.













Serves: 12

~ Ingredients ~

• 6 pieces of good-quality bread. Remove crusts and tear into crouton-size pieces.
• 8 tablespoons (or 1 stick) of unsalted butter. Grab an extra tablespoon to butter the dish with.
• 1/2 cup flour
• 5 1/2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups grated your choice of Swiss, Gruyere, or 1 1/4 cups of grated pecorino Romano

• 1 lb macaroni (or any small shell or tube pasta)
• Approximately 4 1/2 - 5 cups grated cheddar (I can not say enough how amazing the Cathedral City cheddar is!!!)

*You'll notice some other white cheddar in the photo. We ended up not using it.

~ Directions ~

1. Start off by heating your over to 375 degrees (190 C). Butter a casserole dish that is approximately 3 quarts and set aside. 

2. Place bread pieces in a bowl and in a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Pour the butter onto the bread and mix. Set them aside.

3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk.

 4. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter in a deep skillet over medium heat. All your ingredients will end up in here so make sure its a good size pan. When the butter boils, add the flour. Cook and sir for about 1 minute.

5. Slowly add the hot milk into the flour and butter mix while whisking. Keep cooking and whisking until the mix bubbles and starts to thicken.

6. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the salt, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and about 75% of all the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Set aside.

*Mmmmm cheese....

7. Now you can boil some water and add your pasta to it. Cook it until it's almost done. About 2 minutes less than what the manufacturer suggests. Drain and rinse under cool water.

8. Add the pasta to the cheese sauce and stir well.

9. Pour the mixture into the casserole dish. Top with the remaining cheese and then the breadcrumbs.

*Pre extra cheese and breadcrumbs...

10. Bake uncovered until brown on top. Should take about 25-30 minutes. Let the dish sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

~ Recipe for serving 6 ~

3 slices of bread

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (plus some for the dish)

2 3/4 cups milk

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and black pepper

2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups grate cheddar

1 cup Swiss of Gruyere or 2/3 cup pecorino Romano

8 oz. pasta noodles