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Thanksgiving: Southern-Style Mac 'n' Cheese

Source of Recipe

Food & Wine


Recipe Introduction

"Three different kinds of cheese—extra-sharp cheddar, Colby-Jack, and cream cheese—go into this creamy, savory macaroni and cheese recipe, which also gets layers of flavor from fresh bay leaves and dry mustard. Southern-Style mac 'n' cheese is typically made with a milk-and-egg base rather than a roux. Here, the milk component is an infused milk-and-cream mixture reserved from cooking the noodles (which adds even more richness to the dish). Make this one of the starring sides at your Thanksgiving table."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
â—¦ 3 cups heavy whipping cream
â—¦ 1 ½ cups whole milk
â—¦ 3 fresh bay leaves
â—¦ 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
â—¦ ¾ teaspoon black pepper, divided
â—¦ 1 pound uncooked elbow macaroni
â—¦ 3 large eggs
â—¦ 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
â—¦ 2 teaspoons dry mustard
â—¦ 1 pound extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)
â—¦ 8 ounces Colby-Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups), divided


Recipe

Preheat oven to 375° F with one rack in middle position and one rack positioned 6 inches from upper oven heating element. Rub butter all over inside of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; set aside.

Place a large strainer over a large heatproof bowl. Stir together cream, milk, bay leaves, 1 ½ teaspoons of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium. Stir in pasta; return to a simmer. Simmer until almost al dente, about 4 minutes. Pour pasta through strainer, letting cream mixture strain into heatproof bowl; remove and discard bay leaves. Reserve 1 ½ cups strained cream mixture; discard remaining cream mixture, or reserve for another use. Set aside.

Gently whisk eggs in a large heatproof bowl. If reserved cream mixture is no longer hot to touch, microwave on medium (50% power) until hot but not boiling, 30 to 60 seconds. Slowly pour or ladle about ½ cup warm cream mixture into eggs, whisking quickly and constantly, until eggs are warm and tempered. Whisk in cream cheese, mustard, and remaining ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper (mixture will be chunky).

Add remaining 1 cup warm cream mixture, and whisk to combine. Add Cheddar, and whisk until cheese starts to melt but some solids remain. Add cooked pasta; fold to combine. Pour half of the pasta mixture (about 4 cups) into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 ½ cups of the Colby-Jack. Spread remaining pasta mixture over Colby-Jack. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake on middle rack in preheated oven until bubbling around edges, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and carefully remove foil. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup Colby-Jack, and return to oven on rack 6 inches from heating element. Increase oven temperature to broil, and broil until cheese is browned in spots, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool until pasta mixture is set and firm, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Makes 10 servings