Ina's Mac and Cheese

[Food Network Fan]

The Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten), shared a favorite mac and cheese recipe in her family style cookbook that I really like to fix. The fresh tomatoes add a wonderful flavor.

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Mac and Cheese
Kosher salt
Vegetable oil
1 lb. elbow macaroni or cavatappi
1 quart milk
8 tbsps. (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated (4 cups)
8 oz. extra-sharp cheddar, grated (2 cups)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 lb. fresh tomatoes (4 small)
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.
Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.
Serves 6 to 8

[bluejeanz]

I watched her show today (new ep) and she made a little different version of the mac and cheese recipe you posted. This one I printed out immediately. I love the idea of the bacon and the combination of cheeses. I always top my mac & cheese with buttered fresh breadcrumbs and adding basil to it sounds intriguing, too:


Grown Up Mac & Cheese

4 ounces thick-sliced bacon
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt
2 cups elbow macaroni or cavatappi
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
3 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
2 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves



Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon in 1 layer on the baking rack. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Remove the pan carefully from the oven - there will be hot grease in the pan! Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble when it is cool enough to handle.


Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, blue cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon and stir well. Pour into 2 individual size gratin dishes.

Place the bread slices in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Add the basil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the pasta. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

[Food Network Fan]

I would probably like that one without the bacon, it wouldn't fly with my 7 year old though.

[BerryBaby]

I don't like bacon in anything. Just by itself is ok.

[Food Network Fan]

Same with me. Although I do render the grease for baked beans I prefer not to have hunks of bacon in the beans.

[Lucy]

I'm not crazy about the idea of putting bacon in my macaroni and cheese either. The only thing I like bacon in is certain vegetables like collard greens and green beans.

I like my macaroni pretty plain. Just the cheese sauce and the macaroni. I don't like it when people put meats, tomatoes or breadcrumbs on top.

[Food Network Fan]

If I use bacon for green beans I just use it as seasoning. I take it out when it cooks up.

[MayQueen]

I might be the only person in the US who doesn't like mac and cheese. I didn't grow up eating it and now, while I don't hate it, after about three bites, the blandness gets to me. I made Emeril's version, one with 4 cheeses, and friends went crazy over it. Seriously, there was swooning and mmmmming and eyerolling and even some when Harry met Sallying (as BB might say.)

[Food Network Fan]

My daughter doesn't like it. She would eat it when she was small. Maybe she burnt herself out on it getting it off of every kids menu when we would eat out.

[isilzha]

We made homemade mac and cheese a few times (my sister didn't like it so now we don't have it anymore ) but it had bacon in it and I thought it rocked.