The Pinewood Kitchen

The Macaroni and Cheese My Grandmother Made

Every American family has their own version of mac and cheese, and ours came from my grandmother in Wisconsin. She taught me that the secret was not in fancy ingredients, but in a proper béchamel and using cheese that actually melts well. Pre-shredded cheese, she would say, has anti-caking powder on it. That powder will ruin your sauce.

The cheese has to be grated by hand. Sharp cheddar is the backbone, but a handful of gruyère gives the sauce a nutty depth that store-brand mac will never have. Skip the gruyère if you have to. Never skip the hand grating.

My grandmother also insisted on a touch of mustard powder. She said it "wakes the cheese up," which I did not understand for years until I tried the recipe without it once. She was right.

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk, warmed
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 10 ounces sharp cheddar, freshly grated
• 4 ounces gruyère, freshly grated
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt, white pepper, and a small grating of nutmeg
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs tossed with 2 tablespoons melted butter

Method

Cook the pasta two minutes shy of al dente. Drain and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, whisk in the flour, and cook for about two minutes until it smells like toasted biscuits. Slowly whisk in the warm milk, then the cream, and let it thicken until it coats the back of a spoon.

Off the heat, stir in the mustard, paprika, and a small grating of nutmeg. Add the cheeses one handful at a time, stirring until each addition melts before adding the next. Season with salt and white pepper. Fold in the cooked pasta.

Pour into a buttered baking dish, top with the buttered breadcrumbs, and bake at 375°F for about twenty minutes, until the top is deeply golden and the edges are bubbling. Let it rest five minutes before serving. The sauce sets up just enough to scoop properly.

Notes from my kitchen

Warm the milk before adding it to the roux. Cold milk hits the hot roux and seizes into lumps that take forever to whisk out.

This recipe doubles well for potlucks. Bake it in a 9x13 dish and add five extra minutes.