8 tablespoon butter
6 tablespoon flour
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
3-3/4 cups hot milk
Mill-Aged Extra Sharp Cheddar
1 lb Elbow Macaroni, cooked & drained
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs or crumbled oyster crackers
Recipe Yield: Serves 6
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Begin to boil water to cook pasta.
- Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over low heat.
- Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for abut 4 minutes (flour mixture must foam as it cooks, or sauce will taste of raw flour).
- Stir in cayenne pepper and season to taste with salt and white pepper.
- Whisk in hot milk, 1/2 cup at a time, and cook, stirring, until sauce thickens.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in 2 cups of cheese.
- Cook, stirring, until cheese melts, about 2 minutes.
- Combine macaroni and sauce in a large bowl and season as desired.
- Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over the bottom of a buttered 8" x 11" baking dish.
- Place 1/3 of the macaroni in the baking dish, top with 1/2 cup of cheese, then repeat, layering pasta and cheese always ending with cheese on top. This will make three layers in all.
- Pour cream over assembled macaroni and cheese.
- Melt remaining butter in skillet.
- Add bread crumbs, coat with melted butter, and sprinkle over macaroni and cheese.
- Bake until crust is golden, or, about 30 minutes.
- Allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
