- Hey, guys, it's so good to see you all again.
I am finally back from all of my French adventures.
And if you missed any of them and you wanna get caught up,
you can head on over to my Instagram account,
@entertainingwithbeth is my account,
and click on the little IGTV icon.
And if you click on that,
you can see a bunch of videos
that I shot while I was over there.
So after a month of French food,
by the time we got back home,
my kids were craving something very American,
like my classic mac and cheese recipe.
I will warn you, this is decadent.
It's certainly not diet food, but boy is it good.
Let me show you how to make it.
So the first thing we're gonna do is boil some pasta.
So you're gonna need a pound of pasta for this recipe.
Now, traditionally mac and cheese is obviously made
with macaroni, but I like to switch it up now and again,
and I like to use those little mini shells.
I don't know, I think it's just
a little bit more sophisticated,
and I find that the sauce sticks to the shells a bit better,
'cause it kinda goes in the shell.
So I'm gonna be using shells,
but you can use whatever you like.
Now, we don't wanna overcook the pasta,
and the reason is because we are going
to bake this mac and cheese after we assemble it,
so it will continue to cook in the oven.
And if you take it where it's already done,
it'll just end up getting kinda mushy in the oven,
so just stop it when it still has a bit of a chew to it.
Now for the sauce.
Okay, this is really what makes this mac and cheese sing.
And when you see the quantities,
you're gonna think I'm nuts,
because it makes a ton of sauce.
But one of the things that I have learned
over the years about mac and cheese is
that you really need a lot more sauce than you think you do,
because when you bake it,
all of that pasta absorbs all of the sauce,
and you'll end up with a really dry mac and cheese
if you don't have enough sauce.
And I like a nice saucy mac and cheese.
So here's what you're gonna do.
In a large Dutch oven,
you're going to add eight tablespoons of butter.
I know, it's a whole stick of butter,
but this is what's gonna make this really good.
Then you're gonna add 1/2 a cup of flour.
And you wanna whisk that together
until you get a nice paste forming.
Then you're slowly gonna add in 6 1/2 cups of milk.
This is the part when you're gonna think,
oh my gosh, this is making a ton of sauce,
(laughs) but you gotta trust me on this.
Just stick with me.
Then we're gonna season our sauce
with two teaspoons of salt.
And I also like to add in a clove of garlic.
Now, this is really optional.
You can leave the garlic in or out.
I like it, 'cause I think it just gives it
a little bit extra flavor.
Mac and cheese can be a little bit bland,
so I like to kick it up a notch with a clove of garlic.
Then you can add some freshly cracked pepper to taste
and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.
And then we're gonna add our cheese.
Now, this is the other secret, I think,
to a really ultimate mac and cheese,
is to use three types of cheese.
So you wanna turn off the flame.
That way you won't scorch the cheese,
and there's enough heat left in that sauce
that'll easily melt your cheese.
So we're gonna add 1/2 a cup of grated white Cheddar,
and this is gonna provide the nice gooeyness to the cheese,
1/2 a cup of Gruyere cheese,
and this is a stronger flavored cheese
and is gonna give you a little bit more flavor
to the cheese sauce,
and then I also like to throw in 1/4 cup
of Parmesan cheese,
which is gonna give you that nice nuttiness.
Then you can just set that aside,
and then we're gonna get to work
on the third part of this recipe,
which I think really sends this over the top,
and that's some homemade breadcrumbs.
They are really easy to do,
and when you see how simple it is,
you'll never go back to the prepared breadcrumbs
for mac and cheese.
It's so much better with the homemade.
So to make the breadcrumbs,
you wanna use some kind of rustic bread.
So you could use a sourdough loaf.
You could use an Italian loaf.
Even a French baguette would work.
And you wanna cut the bread into small cubes
until you get about two cups.
Then you're gonna put that in a food processor,
and to that you're gonna add three tablespoons
of melted butter,
a tablespoon of fresh thyme,
and a little salt and pepper to taste.
And you just wanna pulse that up
until you get a coarse breadcrumb.
That's all there is to it.
So now at this point, you wanna prepare your pan.
I like to use these large gratin pans.
Something that's kind of shallow is nice,
because then everybody gets a little bit
of the breadcrumbs.
If you do something that's small and deep,
you don't get as many breadcrumbs.
And then once your pasta is drained,
you can transfer it into a big bowl,
add that cheese sauce on top, give it a nice stir,
and then transfer this mixture
into your greased casserole pan.
You can just smooth it out so everything's level,
and then you can add the breadcrumbs.
I like to just distribute it all over the top.
And then you wanna bake this at 375 degrees Fahrenheit
for anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes.
And I also like to serve some red pepper flakes
on the side as well
if people wanna add a little bit of heat to it.
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All right, you guys, I'll see you back here next time.
Make it a great week; until then, bye.