In honor of National Mac and Cheese Day (July 14), I wanted to share this recipe that I made back in January. Ed asked for mac and cheese for his birthday dinner so I set out to find a great homemade recipe.
Did you know that Thomas Jefferson (as in the third president of the United States) gets some credit for introducing macaroni to the United States? He spent years in France after the American Revolution and while there visited Italy where he had pasta. He liked it so much he shipped a pasta maker home and wrote about macaroni. Read more about Thomas Jefferson’s Food Legacy and a Pie Called Macaroni. I don’t believe there’s any connection, but July 14 also happens to be Bastille Day which is a national holiday in France that marks the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789.
Ed and I made homemade macaroni using the pasta attachment on our KitchenAid stand mixer for this special dish. We used locally made non-GMO all-purpose flour from Deer Creek Malthouse in Glen Mills, PA. If you don’t want to make your own pasta, any good large macaroni or penne will do.
The key to this recipe is using good quality cheese for the sauce. I used a combination of Kerrygold Vintage Dubliner 100% Natural Cheese (aged for over two years) and a mild 12 month old New York white cheddar (Wegmans’ Adams Reserve). Dubliner isn’t a cheddar but it’s very similar. If these cheeses aren’t readily available, look for a stronger flavored aged cheddar and a milder/less aged cheddar.
If possible, make bread crumbs from slightly stale bread or buy good quality crumbs. We get ours from La Baguette Magique in West Chester, PA (they bake using non-GMO/small batch flour so I’m able to eat them.) It provides an added level of flavor.
This recipe can be made up to a day in advance. If you’d like to prepare and eat this right away, see the Notes section of the recipe. We served this as a main dish, but it would also make a great side dish.
Between the homemade macaroni, the amazing cheese sauce and the really good bread crumbs, what’s not to like in this recipe? How are you going to spend July 14 this year?
| Double Cheese Mac and Cheese | Print |
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (more if using for baking dish)
- ¾ cup fresh bread crumbs (from 4 slices baguette or other firm bread, crusts removed)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups whole milk, warmed
- 8 ounces aged cheddar cheese or similar cheese, shredded (see Notes)
- 4 ounces white cheddar cheese, shredded (see Notes)
- 12 ounces large macaroni or penne
- Butter or spray a 10x10 glass or ceramic baking dish and set aside.
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add bread crumbs. Using a wooden spoon stir until golden, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan (at least 4 quarts) over medium-high heat, melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter.
- When the butter foams, whisk in flour, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper until a paste forms.
- Slowly whisk in hot milk, reduce the heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5 to 8 minutes. (Keep stirring until it’s thickened even if it takes longer than 8 minutes.)
- Add aged cheese and white cheddar and stir until melted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Transfer cheese sauce to a large glass or ceramic bowl. Let cool for 30 minutes – so when you add the pasta it doesn't continue to cook. (This is the technique to make this dish in advance – see Notes for preparing it to bake immediately.)
- Wash out the saucepan you just used. Cook pasta according to directions in this pan. You want the pasta to be al dente. Drain pasta in a colander, rinse with cold water and set aside to drain thoroughly.
- Add pasta to cooled cheese sauce and stir well.
- Transfer pasta to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly over top of pasta. Cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to cook. Can be prepared 1 day in advance.
- When ready to serve, preheat oven to 400°F. Bake covered for 45 minutes and remove cover for remaining 15 minutes or until heated through. Serve warm.
* If you want to prepare and eat this right away, you can skip the step of letting the cheese sauce cool. Instead prepare the pasta (as described) while you are making the cheese sauce. You can mix them together once both are done, add them to the pan, sprinkle with bread crumbs, cover in foil and bake at 400°F. Bake covered for 20 minutes and remove cover for remaining 10 minutes or until heated through. Serve warm.
Source: Adapted from Georgeanne Brennan’s Williams-Sonoma Cheese (2010)
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