mac n cheese for....50? - 9/09

I'm a recipe girl, so I hit up my favorite foodie web sites when I have a hankering for something new. I stumbled upon this Ina Garten adult looking mac n cheese recipe and decided to give it a try. It had PAGES of positive reviews and it was miles away from the blue box we so often use at our house.

The cheese is a bit pricey but so worth it! This is creamy perfection with a crunchy top. I left off the tomatoes which weren't missed. This is the second "homemade" mac n cheese I've tried (the other was Martha's famous recipe) but this one is the one I'll go back to again. May try new cheeses or add bacon or pancetta, maybe sauteed onion or shallot to the batch (we sprinkled bacon on top of half the pan).

Warning! It makes a TON. The hubs and I ate on it for three days before giving up and only dented half the pan. Take this to a pot luck, introduce it at a family holiday or half it for a smaller group.

Ingredients

• Kosher salt


• Vegetable oil


• 1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi


• 1 quart milk


• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided


• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour


• 12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)


• 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)


• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg


• 3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)


• 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish. (I used a 13x9 cake pan)



Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.