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Macaroni and Cheese 101

- serves 12 -
Adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics.

Ingredients

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for casserole
6 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to l/2-inch pieces
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons coarse salt, plus more for water
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyère or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 pound elbow macaroni

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place the bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside.

2. Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

3. While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, 8 to 12 minutes.

4. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyère (or 1 cup Pecorino Romano); set the cheese sauce aside.

5. Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook the macaroni until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir the macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

6. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyère (or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano), and the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer the dish to a wire rack for 5 minutes; serve.

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Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ed’s post last week got me thinking about how hard it is to find a really great chocolate chip cookie; the issue is that no one cookie can be the chocolate chip cookie for all people. Some prefer crisp cookies, while others insist on gooey, doughy ones. These cookies tread the happy middle ground between the two.

This is one of the great urban myth recipes—supposedly, years ago, a woman dining at Neiman Marcus asked for their cookie recipe, was told it would cost $2.50, and was later shocked to find a $250 charge on her credit card. For revenge, she shared the recipe with as many people as possible. Even if the story is a fabrication, the cookies are great, and the addition of ground oats adds to their wholesome appeal. This version is from Nancy Baggett’s The All-American Cookie Book.

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Butterscotch Chocolate Chunk Cookies
World Peace Cookies
Alexis's Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, or 12 ounces top-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped into small chunks
3-1/2 to 4 ounces top-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped or coarsely grated
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted (optional)

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.

In a food processor or blender, grind the oats to a very fine powder. (If using a blender, stop the motor and stir the oats several times.) In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In another large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the brown sugar, sugar, and corn syrup and beat until well blended and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until evenly incorporated. Beat in about half of the flour mixture. Beat or stir in the chocolate morsels, chopped milk chocolate, walnuts or pecans (if using), and remaining flour mixture until evenly incorporated. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the dough firms up just slightly.

Divide the dough into quarters. Divide each quarter into 5 or 6 equal portions. Shape them into balls with lightly greased hands. Place on the baking sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart. Using your hands, pat down the balls to 1 inch thick.

Bake the cookies, one sheet at time, in the upper third of the oven for 9 to 12 minutes, or until tinged with brown and just beginning to firm up in the centers; for very moist cookies, be careful not to overbake. Reverse the sheet front to back halfway through baking to ensure even browning. Transfer the sheet to a wire rack and let stand until the cookies firm up slightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks. Let stand until completely cooled.

Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.

Note: Sometimes I leave out the milk chocolate and add more dark chocolate instead. And when I make these cookies, I refrigerate the dough overnight and then shape rounded teaspoonfuls into balls. This makes smaller, more compact cookies, which I prefer. For thinner, slightly crisper cookies, follow the directions above.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2006/09/neiman-marcus-chocolate-chip-c.html?ref=fn

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Note: Crunchy cookie - for softer cookie reduce baking soda or store a slice of bread in container with cookies.

Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese

Recipe courtesy Rick Massa

Ingredients

2

Cheese Lovers 5 Cheese Mac and Cheese

Recipe courtesy Rick Massa

3/4 cup grated Gruyere
3/4 cup grated white Cheddar (Australian)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and butter a 9 by 13-inch
glass baking dish.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain.

In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, saute the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and
reserve. Saute the onion in the bacon drippings until soft. Add the 5 tablespoons butter to the onion mixture
and melt the butter stirring with a wooden spoon.
Using a whisk, add the flour, and stir constantly until well mixed with the fat making a roux. Whisk in the
mustard. Gradually add the milk and cream whisking constantly.
Add the thyme, bay leaf, and salt. Let come to a simmer and stir frequently for 15 minutes.

Strain the hot milk mixture into a metal bowl and discard the solids. Working quickly, mix in 1 cup fontina,
blue cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere, 1/2 cup white Cheddar, 1/2 cup Parmesan, the reserved bacon, and parsley.
Continue to stir until all cheese is melted.

Copyright 2009 Television Food Network G.P., All Rights Reserved

Heirloom Carrot Spoon Cake

Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee, 2007

Ingredients

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch ovenproof omelet pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for 3 to 5 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is browned but not crisp. Take the bacon out of the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.

Place the potatoes in the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Continue to cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until very tender and browned, tossing occasionally to brown evenly. Remove with a slotted spoon to the same plate with the bacon.