southern style

macaroni and cheese

Southern style macaroni and cheese

I have a few recipes for mac and cheese. They’re all good, and they’re all different.

One is made by simply stirring a rich mornay sauce into cooked macaroni, and either baked in a casserole or served right away.

Another is a super-fast and easy recipe, originally from the New York Times, in which raw macaroni is mixed with all the other ingredients and then baked in a soufflé dish.

Then, there’s this one. This is southern soul food at its best. Cheesy and gooey and creamy, it may be the most perfect of all.

Note: You can prepare this a day in advance and bake it when you’re ready to serve. Today, I’m making it as part of my menu for Parasha Vayera.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 16 oz elbow macaroni, uncooked (bowties work, too)

  • 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

  • 8 oz gruyère cheese, shredded

  • 8 oz whole milk mozzarella cheese (not fresh), shredded

  • 8 oz American cheese, cubed

  • 4 oz cream cheese, cubed and room temperature

  • 1 cup half and half

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (fresh is best)

  • ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

  • ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste

  • 1 teaspoon onion powder

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1½ tablespoons dijon mustard

  • ½ teaspoon paprika, sweet or smoked

  • 2 large eggs

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9” X 13” baking dish and set it aside.

  • Fill a large stockpot or Dutch oven with well-salted water, and bring it to a rolling boil. Stir in the macaroni and continue to boil until it’s just barely al dente, according to package directions. Then drain the macaroni in a colander. While it’s cooking, start the sauce.

  •  Note: The macaroni will continue to cook in the oven in the sauce—If you cook it past al dente, it will later turn to mush.

  • In a large mixing bowl, stir together the half and half, heavy cream, half of the cheddar cheese, half of the gruyère cheese, all of the mozzarella cheese, all of the American cheese, and all of the cream cheese.

  • Stir in the seasonings, mixing well and tasting a bit on the middle of your tongue as you go along, adjusting the amounts to please your taste. Stir in the beaten eggs, then stir in the cooked macaroni.

  • Scoop the macaroni mixture evenly into a buttered baking dish and smooth the top. Combine the remaining cheeses together and sprinkle them evenly over the casserole. Dust the top with the paprika,

  • Bake the mac and cheese for 35—40  minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is nicely browned. Do not over-bake.