Mac 'n' cheese
The American classic, done properly: not just macaroni with cheese sauce, but baked in the oven with a crisp, crunchy topping. For really good mac 'n' cheese, use two kinds of cheese (cheddar for flavour, something melty like mozzarella or gruyère for texture). Cook the pasta just short of al dente, as it keeps cooking in the oven. And mustard powder in the sauce is not a luxury but a must: it gives the sharpness that dairy alone doesn't have.
- 300 g macaroni
- good pinch of salt
1 Cook the macaroni in plenty of boiling salted water for 2 minutes less than the packet says. Drain and rinse briefly under cold water to stop the cooking.
- 50 g butter
- 50 g plain flour
2 Melt the butter in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.
- 600 ml whole milk
- 100 ml cooking cream
3 Add the milk a bit at a time, whisking until smooth each time. Add the cream and simmer gently for 3 minutes until you have a thick sauce.
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper
4 Add the spices and stir through.
- 200 g cheddar (grated)
- 100 g gruyère or young Gouda
5 Take the pan off the heat and stir in 250 g of the cheese until melted. Taste: enough salt? Mix in the macaroni.
6 Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
- 50 g panko or coarse breadcrumbs
- 20 g melted butter
- remaining cheese
7 Mix the panko with the melted butter. Scatter over the mac 'n' cheese along with the rest of the cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the top is deep golden and crisp and the sauce bubbles at the edges. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
Step 1
- 300 g macaroni
- good pinch of salt
Step 2
- 50 g butter
- 50 g plain flour
Step 3
- 600 ml whole milk
- 100 ml cooking cream
Step 4
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper
Step 5
- 200 g cheddar (grated)
- 100 g gruyère or young Gouda
Step 7
- 50 g panko or coarse breadcrumbs
- 20 g melted butter
- remaining cheese
Method
- 1 Cook the macaroni in plenty of boiling salted water for 2 minutes less than the packet says. Drain and rinse briefly under cold water to stop the cooking.
- 2 Melt the butter in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.
- 3 Add the milk a bit at a time, whisking until smooth each time. Add the cream and simmer gently for 3 minutes until you have a thick sauce.
- 4 Add the spices and stir through.
- 5 Take the pan off the heat and stir in 250 g of the cheese until melted. Taste: enough salt? Mix in the macaroni.
- 6 Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
- 7 Mix the panko with the melted butter. Scatter over the mac 'n' cheese along with the rest of the cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the top is deep golden and crisp and the sauce bubbles at the edges. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
