Although it takes longer to make, there is no comparison between real macaroni and cheese and the stuff that comes out of the box with a packet of powdered cheese. (What is that stuff anyway?) I have made it with Cheddar, colby, Jack, and the Mexican cheese mixture with chiles, and they were all great. I even once made it with cream cheese, but I wouldn’t recommend that.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the pasta is just cooked. Pour the macaroni into a colander and drain off the cooking water.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 3
Melt the butter in the same saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir constantly until the mixture starts to bubble. Add 1/2 cup of the milk and stir until smooth. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it comes to a boil.
Step 4
Remove the pan from the heat, add the American cheese slices, and stir until the cheese is completely melted. Add the macaroni and stir gently until it is completely coated with the cheese.
Step 5
Place the macaroni in a large baking dish and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.
Kitchen Vocab
Step 6
A roux (roo) is a very handy thing to know how to make. It’s simply a mixture of flour and fat that is used to thicken soups or sauces. In this recipe you make a white roux by cooking the flour and butter just until it starts to bubble. You could make a blond roux by cooking the mixture a little longer until it is golden brown, or you could make a dark roux by cooking it until it is dark brown with a nutty aroma. The key to making a roux is to cook it slowly over low heat and to stir it constantly.
Step 7
Béchamel sauce (BEH-shah-mel) is a basic French sauce that is used as a base for many soups and sauces and is quite easy. Here you make a thin béchamel sauce by adding milk to the roux and cooking it until it comes to a boil. Doubling or tripling the amount of butter and flour will make thicker sauces.
