Yankee Doodle Dandy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Every so often I attempt to continue my quest for the perfect macaroni and cheese.  I say every so often because while I would be happy to partake of the dish every day, I would need to constantly replenish my stretchy pant supply, and that's just expensive.  Based on it's ingredients alone, the "Yankee Doodle Dandy Baked Macaroni and Cheese" recipe from the Macaroni and Cheese cookbook by Marlena Spieler appears quite a contender for mac & cheese perfection.  Will it measure up?  Let's get cheesy and find out!


Fixin's

• 12 oz large elbow macaroni
• 6 Tbs unsalted butter
• 3 Tbs flour
• 3 cups hot milk
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt & black pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 Tbs dry mustard
• 14 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 6 oz Jack cheese, shredded
• 3 oz blue cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Cook the pasta in boiling water, then drain.  It should have bite, but not yet be al dente.  Next, you start the roux by melting half of the butter in a saucepan, then sprinkling on the flour.  Cook the roux for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently.  Take the pan off the heat then add the milk and the bay leaf.  Return the roux to the stove over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly until thickened.  Remove from the heat once again and add the spices.  Set aside 3 oz Cheddar, 3 oz Jack, and 2 Tbs Parmesan.  Take out the bay leaf and add in the remaining cheeses.  Then stir in the onion and garlic.  Toast the breadcrumbs on the stovetop in the remaining butter.  Put a small layer of reserved cheese on the bottom of a deep casserole dish.  In three layers, alternate pasta, then sauce, finishing with the sauce.  Top with the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs.  Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes.  PHEW!

The Result:

Now it may not look too pretty, but let me tell you - it packs a wallop of cheesiness.  It is still so very creamy, the blend of cheeses is familiar, pungent and decadent.  The breadcrumbs are buttery, but otherwise an afterthought.  I really think they serve to seal in all the creaminess and keep the dish from drying out.  I always want seconds of this mac & cheese, but alas, my eyes are always bigger than my stomach when it comes to this dish.

Repeat:

Oh only of course!  This dish is the closest I've ever come to mac & cheese perfection.  That said, with all of the cheese shredding and roux cooking and breadcrumb toasting and pasta cooking, this dish is quite labor intensive.  I just don't have the time or the energy to make it regularly, which is most likely for the best.  There aren't enough stretchy pants in the world...