Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Food Network's Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

I'm not really a fan of macaroni and cheese, but this recipe is great. I didn't make any adjustments and it tasted really good. My only problem is the picture. It's blurry because my son has become one of those babies who will only stop crying if mom holds him. I had him in one hand and the camera in the other when I took this shot.



Ingredients:

    * 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
    * 3 tablespoons butter
    * 3 tablespoons flour
    * 1 tablespoon powdered mustard
    * 3 cups milk
    * 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
    * 1 bay leaf
    * 1/2 teaspoon paprika
    * 1 large egg
    * 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
    * 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    * Fresh black pepper

Topping:

    * 3 tablespoons butter
    * 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preparations:

  1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
  2. While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
  3. Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
  4. Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

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