Macaroni and cheese
Gaby wanted mac and cheese tonight, and Mikey agreed he/she might like some, too. It's too hot to go with my normal recipe -- I was afraid it would be too heavy -- so I tried a version from Kim O'Donnel (if you're not reading the Washington Post cooking writer, why not?) instead. It was definitely good, and easy to throw together. I made the roux while the pasta was boiling.
Kim's original recipe is here. And here's how I did it, based on 5-year-old sensibilities and what was in the house.
9 ounces small shells
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus a little extra for greasing the pan
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
1/4 cup bread crumbs (all I had were Italian bread crumbs)
Preheat oven to 350. Grease the sides of a glass or ceramic baking dish with butter. Cook macaroni in salted boiling water until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta and transfer to buttered dish.
In a medium saucepan, add butter and allow to melt over low-medium heat. Add flour, and with a wooden spoon, stir quickly to combine and form a roux.
Continue to stir, and cook for about 1 minute, making sure flour lumps disappear. Roux will be a golden yellow color. Add milk, mustard, salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir to combine. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring regularly to make sure milk does not scald, until mixture is thickened. The mixture is ready when a streak on the back of your wooden spoon is prominent. Add cheese and stir or whisk constantly until mixture is smooth and free of lumps.
Pour cheese sauce over pasta to cover evenly. Top it off with a layer of bread crumbs. Place dish in oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until cheese begins to bubble. To crisp up bread crumb topping, place dish under broiler for about 1 minute. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
Kim's original recipe is here. And here's how I did it, based on 5-year-old sensibilities and what was in the house.
9 ounces small shells
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus a little extra for greasing the pan
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
1/4 cup bread crumbs (all I had were Italian bread crumbs)
Preheat oven to 350. Grease the sides of a glass or ceramic baking dish with butter. Cook macaroni in salted boiling water until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta and transfer to buttered dish.
In a medium saucepan, add butter and allow to melt over low-medium heat. Add flour, and with a wooden spoon, stir quickly to combine and form a roux.
Continue to stir, and cook for about 1 minute, making sure flour lumps disappear. Roux will be a golden yellow color. Add milk, mustard, salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir to combine. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring regularly to make sure milk does not scald, until mixture is thickened. The mixture is ready when a streak on the back of your wooden spoon is prominent. Add cheese and stir or whisk constantly until mixture is smooth and free of lumps.
Pour cheese sauce over pasta to cover evenly. Top it off with a layer of bread crumbs. Place dish in oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until cheese begins to bubble. To crisp up bread crumb topping, place dish under broiler for about 1 minute. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
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