Hi starlightfarm ,

Here is a recipe from Kframe of this forum. It's an Alton brown recipe. Several of us on the forum have tried and and really enjoyed.

Macaroni And Cheese - Alton Brown Via Kframe

1/2 Lb elbow macaroni
3 Tbl butter
3 Tbl flour
1/2 Tsp of cayanne pepper
1 Tbl powdered mustard
3 Cup milk
1/2 Cup yellow onion finely diced
3 or 4 cloves of garlic smashed or diced fine
1 bay leaf
1/2 Tsp paprika
1 large egg light beaten
12 ounces sharp cheddar shredded
6 to 8 strips of bacon fried crisp, drained, and crumbled
1 Tsp kosher salt
Fresh black pepper

Topping:
3 Tbl butter
1 Cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter and let it foam out.

Add the onion and garlic with a pinch of kosher salt and lightly saute until they start to turn carmel colored and soft.

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, cayanne pepper, and paprika.

Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese and the bacon.
Season with salt and pepper.

Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

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.~

Here is my version of Cook's Illustrated - I omitted the bread crumbs because I'm lazy. Its our dinner tonight, matter of fact! I think subbing evaporated milk for fresh is a big improvement for any M&C recipe.

Cooks Illustrated Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
12 oz Canned evaporated milk
2 lg Eggs
1/4 ts Hot red pepper sauce
2 ts Salt
1/4 ts Ground black pepper
1 ts Dry mustard, dissolved in:
1 ts Water
1/2 lb Elbow macaroni
4 TB or 1/4 cup Unsalted butter
12 oz Sharp Wisconsin cheddar*, (or any cheese - Monterey Jack, etc., or a mix)

Preparation

Mix eggs, 1 cup of the evaporated milk, pepper sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, pepper and mustard mixture in small bowl. Set aside.

Heat 2 quarts water to boil in large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven. Add 1-1/2 teaspoons of the salt and macaroni; cook until almost tender, but still a little firm to the bite. Drain and return to pan over low heat.
Add butter; toss to melt.

Pour egg mixture over buttered noodles along with three-quarters of the cheese; stir until thoroughly combined and cheese starts to melt. Gradually add remaining milk and cheese, stirring constantly until mixture is hot and creamy, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Well, the base recipe is Alton Brown's but I changed it a fair amount to meet what I want and like out of a pan of mac and cheese.

My husband much prefers the pedestrian to the "fancy-schmancy" when it comes to mac & cheese. For him, it has to be Velveeta melted in a buttery white sauce, poured over cooked elbow mac, then baked long enough to get brown spots on the top. Nothing else will do.

Our dil is a gourmet cook who turns out one thing more delicious than the last, and is determined to improve dad's taster, as far as mac and cheese goes (he loves everything else she makes). For him, (and secretly for our son, too; he always asks for it when he's home) it's velveeta or nothing. It's pretty funny, really, to hear her tease him, and him defend his tastes!

It would be hard to imagine better Mac & Cheese than this:

Patti LaBelle's Over the Rainbow Mac-n-cheese
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound elbow macaroni
1/2 cup butter PLUS 1 tablespoon
1/2 cup shredded Muenster cheese
1/2 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups half & half
1 cup Velveeta, cut into small cubes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon PenseyÂs 4S salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko or bread crumbs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Lightly butter a deep 2 1/2 quart casserole.
3. Cook pasta, add the oil then the elbow macaroni and cook until macaroni is just tender (about 7 minutes). Drain well and return to the pot.
4. In a small saucepan, melt the first measure of butter (1/2 cup butter PLUS 1 tablespoon. Stir into the macaroni.
5. In a large bowl, mix the Muenster, mild and sharp Cheddar cheese and the Monterey Jack cheese.
6. To the macaroni, add the half & half, 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheeses, the cubed Velveeta and the eggs. SAVE ½ cup for topping
7. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the buttered casserole.
8. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and dot with the remaining butter. Melt the butter in a sauté pan and toss the panko to coat. Top the macaroni with panko.
9. Bake until it is bubbling around the edges, about 35 minutes.

*The Pensey's, Panko, and Velveeta are my additions.

One that my mother has made as far back as I can remember is super, super simple and very good. But there's no recipe.

Pasta
Cheddar
milk
egg
salt & pepper

Just cook your elbow macaroni till it's almost done - do not fully cook or you'll have mush for mac and cheese. Be sure and add plenty of salt to the water.

When it's done, in a greased casserole, start layering:
first some of the pasta
then cheese (she only used cheddar - you can add others but I wouldn't do more than 3 different kinds - maybe only cheddar and asiago)
Layer like that to the top of the casserole.

Then in a 2 cup measuring cup, put some milk and an egg - salt and pepper. (remember that there is already salt in the pasta and cheese!) This is where it gets tricky, you just have to judge how much milk you think it's going to take to cover the pasta and cheese.

But that's all you do, pour it over the pasta and cheese till it just about covers it.

Slightly push on it and take a spoon handled, insert it down in and wiggle to make sure it's getting all the way down.

Top with some more cheese (or breadcrumbs)
Cook at 350 for about 30 minutes or until it's set.

Being a lover of mac and cheese, I can say that this is very good but I also like it with the asiago cheese, a little mustard powder, and breadcrumb topping. But don't put no dang onions or bell peppers in my mac and cheese!! :)

This recipe was worth the pricey Gouda - its absolutely fantastic.

Joan's on Third Macaroni and Cheese
Posted by kathleenca (My Page) on
Wed, Feb 25, 09 at 17:24
I made this recipe last month for the first time, though I cut it out of the paper about two years ago. It's now my very favorite macaroni & cheese. It's very rich & feeds a lot. I gave some to two others, who are still talking about it. It keeps well - doesn't break down & get watery. It is SO good! Joan's on Third is a popular restaurant in Los Angeles.

10 - 12 servings
1 pound pasta (elbow macaroni, fusilli, or any shape desired)
2 ounces butter
3 3/4 cups whole milk
6 ounces ricotta or small curd cottage cheese
3 ounces cream cheese
12 ounces Monterey jack, shredded
12 ounces Gouda, shredded, plus 8 ounces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cook pasta in large pot of boiling, salted water until just tender. Drain well.
Add butter, milk, ricotta, cream cheese, Monterey jack, and 12 ounces of the Gouda to the warm pasta. Season with salt and pepper.
Gently mix everything together, leaving some chunks of cheese visible. Pour the mixture into 9 by 11-inch baking pan.
Top with the remaining 8 ounces of Gouda.
Bake until beautifully golden, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve hot or room temperature.

I'm with Jessy on this one. I use a combination of Alton Brown's & Cook's Illustrated stove top macaroni and cheese recipes. I've found that I don't need to use as much evaporated milk as Cook's calls for. Because of my husband's dietary restrictions, I don't add any salt whatsoever and use only 8 oz. extra sharp cheddar. I don't do crumbs either. The stuff is so good that's it's really hard for us to stop eating it. I know it's supposed to serve 4-6, but the two of us could easily finish it off all by ourselves.

Here is a link that might be useful: Alton Brown's Stove Top Mac & Cheese

Our favorite comes from The Splended Table. We use Manchego, Gruyere and a bit of Asiago

21st-Century Mac 'n' Cheese
Excerpted from The Splendid Table's® How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift

Serves 4, and doubles easily
8 to 10 minutes prep time; 30 minutes oven time

You could assemble the dish a day ahead to bake when you walk in the door

Never underestimate the healing power of macaroni and cheese at the end of a day from hell. Make this as rich as you'd like by selecting milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream.
3 quarts salted water in a 4-quart pot
1/2 pound (2 cups) imported elbow macaroni or penne pasta
1 large egg
1 cup milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream
1 small garlic clove
3/4 medium onion, coarse chopped
1 generous cup (5 ounces) shredded good-quality extra-sharp cheddar cheese
5 ounces cream cheese, crumbled
2/3 cup (3 ounces) shredded Gruyère, Appenzeller, or Manchego cheese
Generous 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Generous 1/8 teaspoon salt
Generous 1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
Generous 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika, Hungarian or Spanish
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 saltines, coarse crumbled

1. Bring the salted water to a boil. Drop in the macaroni or penne. Boil, stirring often, until the pasta is tender but still with a little firmness. Drain in a colander.
2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a shallow 1-1/2-quart baking dish, and add the cooked macaroni.
3. In a blender or food processor, combine the egg, milk, and garlic. Process for 3 seconds. Add the onion, cheeses, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, and paprika, and blend for 10 seconds, or until the onion is cut down to small pieces and the ingredients are blended. Turn the mixture into the dish, folding it into the macaroni. (The casserole could be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours at this point.)
4. To bake, bring the casserole close to room temperature if it has been refrigerated. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the saltine crumbles, and coat them with the butter. Spread them over the top of the casserole. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until thick yet creamy. If the top is not golden brown, slip the casserole under the broiler for a minute. Remove it from the oven, let it stand for 5 minutes, and serve.
LYNNE'S TIPS
An egg and cream cheese are the secret ingredients here.
They give creaminess and body to the dish so you can
sidestep the time-consuming white sauce often called for in macaroni and cheese recipes.

The Gruyère, Appenzeller, or Manchego cheese gives a nuttiness and another layer of flavor beyond cheddar cheese alone.

Oh my.... every single recipe sounds delicious. I don't think that I could go wrong with any of them.... but now... which one do I choose??? ;)

Hubby is going to be in heaven right before Thanksgiving... maybe I should do a test run on a few of them!

I've made the one from Patti LaBelle and it's very very good.

Are any of these the kind that can be cut into squares to serve?

Thank you!

Do you freeze leftovers, if any? They all sound mouthwatering.

I've made Mark Bittman's mac and cheese recipe from "How to Cook Everything" and it was very good. He says it's mac and cheese for grownups, not "sweet and gooey".

Guess I'm more of a traditionalist though when it comes to comfort food. I usually make a slightly modified version of The Joy of Cooking's Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe. I like it custardy so I add eggs, I prefer melted chunks of cheese so I cube instead of grate (way easier too!), I add nutmeg, and yes, I like mac and cheese on the sweet side so I add a little sugar.

Soooo, soooo, gooood.

Here is a link that might be useful: Joy of Cooking Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Weirdly enough I came across Mark Bittman's blog while searching for the Joy of Cooking recipe and it appears that he is smitten with Martha Stewart's "Perfect Macaroni and Cheese". Might have to give this a shot :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Addictive Mac and Cheese

Tropicals9b, the one I posted can be cut into squares; however, bear in mind I live in a VERY arid climate. I can't take two pieces of bread out of the bag to make a sandwich without them drying out before I get the mayo from the fridge! :)

Now you guys have done it! If I show this to DH, he's going to want a mac-in-cheese side-by-side taste testing!

OK, I have mentioned before that I am macaroni and cheese challenged, not for a lack of trying. Tonight I made the Patti LaBelle recipe and we have a WINNER! It was so good, I made no changes to it except I left off the bread crumbs because my son doesn't like them. I was so pleased, it came out beautifully. I also made brussel sprouts which I've never made before. I fried a few bacon slices, poured off most of the grease, sauteed a shallot and the sprouts with salt, pepper and little sugar in the grease until lightly browned, then added some chicken stock, covered the pan and pulled it off the heat. I have nothing to compare it to but we thought they were really good. I added a simple salad with homemade dressing. Not for every night but a very very good dinner!
Thank you mustangs for posting that recipe...
Oh, a bonus, I crumbled the bacon up for sprinkling over the mac and cheese, perfection! :)