Babish Baked Mac and Cheese

• aktiv tid: 30 min
• total tid: 1 hr 15 min

Ingredienser

**For the Bechamel/Mornay Sauce:**

4 oz Parmesan, shredded

8 oz Gruyere, shredded

8 oz Sharp white cheddar, shredded

4 oz Fontina, shredded

½ cup butter

½ cup flour

4 cups cold whole milk

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

Cayenne pepper (optional)

2 Tbsp whole grain mustard

**For the mac and cheese**

1 box dry pasta (16 oz)

3 oz cheddar, grated

1 oz parmesan, grated

Low moisture full-fat mozzarella, cubed

Vejledning

**Bechamel/Mornay Sauce:**

Start by shredding the parmesan, gruyere, fontina, and sharp white cheddar on the large hole side of a box grater and cubing the mozzarella cheese. All together it should be 1 ½ lb.

In a large saucepan, melt ½ cup of butter over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until it stops spattering, the stage right before browning. Make sure to swirl regularly so the butter doesn’t splatter.

At this point, add ½ cup of flour and whisk into a thick paste and cook for 2-3 minutes until the raw flour smell dissipates.

At which point, slowly add the 4 cups of cold milk a little at a time. Slowly add ½ cup of milk while whisking together until it reaches a smooth paste then add another ½ cup whisk until smooth, and so on and so forth until all of the 4 cups of milk have been added.

Whisk that rigorously over medium-high heat until it comes to a bare simmer and reaches a consistency of just thicker than that of heavy cream.

Once the bechamel is finished, combine all the cheese (except mozzarella) into a heatproof bowl. Pour the bechamel over top through a fine-mesh strainer. Fold the cheese into the bechamel and whisk until it is fully melted and turned into a mornay sauce.

Season with a bunch of salt, freshly ground pepper, cayenne pepper (optional), and 2 tablespoons of whole grain mustard and whisk to combine.

**Baked Mac & Cheese:**

On a stovetop, start by cooking your pasta of choice. While they’re cooking, make a pan of bechamel - method below.

Once the bechamel/mornay sauce is finished, place the cooked pasta into a casserole dish and pour the cheese sauce over top. Stir together inside the casserole dish.

After the cheese sauce has been evenly dispersed, add the cubed mozzarella and mix to make sure it’s evenly distributed.

Top the whole thing with another 2-3 ounces of grated cheddar and 1 ounce of grated parmesan.

Place into a 375°F oven for about 45 minutes (rotating once halfway through) and bake until a golden brown on top.

Let sit and rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notater

Experiment with cheeses. Original recipe asked for:

1.5 lbs cheese, any make up of the following:

Parmesan, shredded

Gruyere, shredded

Sharp white cheddar, shredded

Fontina, shredded