Holiday cooking, part 2 (Mac and cheese attempt)

The topping got a bit burnt in the broiler, but it still tasted pretty good...

     I have been wanting to write this post for a while but a cold and the holidays caught up with me.  I finally (finally) cooked my first macaroni and cheese recipe since I started this blog.  And, the best news is, it definitely has potential!
     I would first like to start this blog with a big thanks to Scott's friend, Pete.  We have been staying over at Pete's house every December for the Christmas holiday.  Pete has been nice enough to take us in and make us feel welcome!  I am very blessed that all of Scott's friends and family have made me feel like I was a part of their family.  So, a big thanks to Pete and everyone else for that!  Plus, Pete was the one who gave me the challenge of cooking macaroni and cheese for his traditional night before Christmas party.  I knew just which recipe I was going to try; Cook's illustrated Classic Macaroni and Cheese.
     In case you don't know about Cook's Illustrated, this is a classic cooking magazine that thoroughly tests every single recipe sometimes hundreds of times until they come up with the ideal recipe.  I had a subscription to their magazine last year and decided to update to their online membership this year so I could have access to all of their recipes.  I quite enjoy Cook's Illustrated, but usually find their recipes a bit too complicated to cook.  I like cooking a little simpler food although am certainly quite capable of cooking a more complicated recipe.  Anyways, I thought I would put their ultimate Macaroni and Cheese recipe to the test.  Here it is:

Classic Macaroni and Cheese


Serves 6 to 8, or 10 to 12 as a side. Published May 1, 2004


Note: It's crucial to cook the pasta until tender--just past the "al dente" stage. In fact, overcooking is better than undercooking the pasta. Whole, low-fat, and skim milk all work well in this recipe. The recipe can be halved and baked in an 8-inch-square, broilersafe baking dish. If desired, offer celery salt or hot sauce (such as Tabasco) for sprinkling at the table.


Ingredients:

Bread Crumb Topping
6 slices white sandwich bread (good-quality, about 6 ounces), torn into rough pieces
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (cold), cut into 6 pieces

Pasta and Cheese
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon table salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons powdered mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
5 cups milk (see note)
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese , shredded (2 cups)
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese , shredded (2 cups)
1 teaspoon table salt


Instructions


1. For the bread crumbs: Pulse bread and butter in food processor until crumbs are no larger than 1/8 inch, ten to fifteen 1-second pulses. Set aside.
2. For the pasta and cheese: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat broiler. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. Add macaroni and 1 tablespoon salt; cook until pasta is tender. Drain pasta and set aside in colander.
3. In now-empty Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add flour, mustard, and cayenne (if using) and whisk well to combine. Continue whisking until mixture becomes fragrant and deepens in color, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk; bring mixture to boil, whisking constantly (mixture must reach full boil to fully thicken). Reduce heat to medium and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened to consistency of heavy cream, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in cheeses and 1 teaspoon salt until cheeses are fully melted. Add pasta and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is steaming and heated through, about 6 minutes.
4. Transfer mixture to broiler-safe 9-by 13-inch baking dish and sprinkle evenly with bread crumbs. Broil until crumbs are deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes, rotating pan if necessary for even browning. Cool about 5 minutes, then serve.

     The truly interesting thing I found about this recipe is that you don't bake it at all.  This goes against all other recipes that I have made for Macaroni and cheese.  I used a cheddar jack mixture since the grocery store didn't have shredded sharp cheddar cheese.  I also ended up using nonfat milk since that was what was in Dot's refrigerator.  I also used Pepperidge white sandwich bread for the bread crumbs and pulsed them in a blender, not a food processor since that was all that was available.
     The verdict?  Quite good, actually!  I was pleasantly surprised.  Unlike other macaroni and cheese recipes that I have made, this one actually did taste cheesy although it was a little bland.  I think using extra sharp cheddar would have made a difference there.  I also think it needed just a wee bit more salt.  I wasn't particularly happy with the bread crumb topping.  To start off with, I burned the bread crumbs in the broiler.  I tried scraping off the burnt bread crumbs (like you do with burnt toast) and found that the bread crumbs underneath weren't really toasted at all.  I think next time I am going to use Panko bread crumbs, as they are a far superior topping than anything else I have found.  The nonfat milk didn't really seem to make a taste difference.  So, I think I am going to try to make this recipe again with a few more modifications.
     The cooking process was pretty easy, although it was a chore to sit there and whisk the whole time!  It makes me wish I had an automatic whisker!  I was quite pleased that it did indeed thicken up to the consistency of cream and the cheese melted quite easily.  However, boiling milk always makes a big mess on the bottom of the pan.  My thumb still hurts from scraping off the bottom of that pan with a brillo pad.  I think I scraped away a bit of my skin!  It was definitely worth it, though!  Other people enjoyed it, too!  Pete's sister (a wonderful cook herself) said it was "excellent."  Yay!