Serves 4
4 tablespoons butter, plus a bit for the pan
3 slices white bread, cubed
2 3/4 cups milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon course salt, plus a bit for the water
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
9 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
4 ounces Gruyère, grated
8 ounces cooked ham, cubed
1/2 pound elbow macaroni (or other short pasta)
Heat oven to 375° and put a pot of salted water on to boil. Combine the milk and the cream a medium saucepan and slowly warm it over medium heat, stirring frequently. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium/high heat. When the butter starts to bubble add the flour. Be sure to stir it until it fully incorporates with the butter and cook for just a minute before slowly adding the milk. Add the milk a bit at a time, whisking briskly as you do. Continue to whisk or stir vigorously until it begins to thicken and bubble. It should be creamy and smooth.
If you haven't done it yet, put the macaroni in the water and boil it until it's done. While the pasta is boiling, start adding the grated cheese in small handfuls, stirring until it is completely melted between batches. Save out the last small handful of each type of cheese for topping. Once the cheese sauce is smooth you can start adding in the spices. This can get fairly spicy fairly quickly so start with the measurements given, or maybe even make them a bit scant if your palate is sensitive. Mix them in completely and let them rest for a moment before tasting the sauce and then adjusting the spices as you see fit. When the taste is satisfactory add in the cubed ham, and then the cooked and drained macaroni, and fold them into the sauce.
Melt a tablespoon of butter and coat the bread pieces in it. Then butter the sides and bottom of a 2-quart baking dish. Pour the cheese sauce mixture into the baking dish and top with the reserved cheese. Spread the buttered bread cubes out on the top and slide it into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes or so, until it is golden brown on top and bubbly all the way through.
Let it sit on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe by: Kelly Sink - adapted from Martha Stewart's Macaroni and Cheese
I want that. can you take all the calories out first?
ReplyDeleteA comment and a suggestion...
ReplyDeleteThe comment...
What are we adding the cheese to? The boiling pasta? ;)
The suggestion...
As a flavor enhancer, before you add the flour to the butter, keep the butter on the heat until it turns brown. Once the browning begins, however, it goes rapidly so be careful. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour then replace on heat to cook for a few seconds to cook out the flour taste.
Jeff,
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Brown butter definitely adds a rich, nutty flavor to the cream sauce.
The comment:
While I will admit the text doesn't spell out which pan you're adding the cheese to, if you're even thinking of adding it to the boiling pasta then you need more help in the kitchen than I'm willing to offer. ;-)