~ Creamy Baked Five-Cheese Macaroni & Cheese ~

Macaroni and cheese is near the very top of the American favorite food list.  This ooey-gooey irresistable mixture of unpretentious pasta and cheese has earned a beloved place on tables ranging from your grandmother's kitchen to college dorms to gourmet restaurants.  We love it and we serve it year round, indoors or out, at all sorts of gatherings, holidays and celebrations.

My guy wants my Mac & Cheese served with our son Jesse's Bone-Suckin, Charcoal-Smoked Spareribs for Memorial Day!

I'm sure there is a percentage of you who think Mac & Cheese was invented by Kraft foods (their first version was introduced in 1937), but food historians say it had its humble beginning in the kitchen of Thomas Jefferson, who returned from a trip to Paris with a macaroni press he bought in Italy.  In 1802, Thomas Jefferson, who had an affinity for cheese and Italian food, began serving macaroni and cheese in the White House.  Jefferson's cousin, Mary Randolph, published her recipe in 1824 in The Virginia Housewife, considered to be the very first American cookbook.  Two-hundred+ years later, while the basic recipe has changed little, many Americans spend a great deal of time trying to "tweek" their recipe to perfection.  I am one such American. 

In the late 1980's, while watching one of the the morning TV shows (most likely Good Morning America because I am a true-blue Charlie Gibson fan), I watched an interview with then White House Excecutive Chef Henry Haller.  Chef Haller was promoting his new book:  The White House Family Cookbook.  It was fascinating.  Chef Haller, who served five administrations as White House Executive Chef for over 20 years, told two stories:

~ Shortly after Ronald Reagan was elected to office, he was invited to visit President Carter at the White House.  The outgoing President Carter, trying to explain to the President Elect what life in the White House is like, said "don't worry about the house, the house runs itself".  One of Carter's aides chimed in (with regards to why the White House staff remains so constant over the years), "nobody could learn in four years what they all do over there".

~ Ronald Reagan loved macaroni & cheese and the White House kitchen made it exactly the way he liked it:  spiked with dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce.  Like most presidents, Ronald Reagan worked late, erratic hours, sometimes into the early morning.  Twenty-four/seven (24/7), the White House kitchen had macaroni & cheese  ready and waiting for him as a snack or a quick meal.  Even when the President was recovering from his gunshot wound, the White House staff was frequently requested to send macaroni & cheese to the hospital.

I bought Chef Haller's book, which is beautifully written (not to mention a great addition to my 5,000 volume cookbook research library).  I already had a macaroni & cheese recipe that my sons and husband loved, but it was lacking two of Chef Haller's ingredients:  dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce.  Well, the addition of those two ingredients to my original recipe immediately turned my Creamy Baked Five-Cheese Macaroni & Cheese into my family's favorite macaroni & cheese.  While I can't admit to agreeing 100% with this former President's politics, from a mac & cheese standpoint, Mr. President gets my vote.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1  pound tubular pasta, or a combination of tubes, shells and spirals

1  tablespoon sea salt, for seasoning pasta water

4  ounces butter, at room temperature

1 1/2  pounds grated sharp white cheddar cheese

12  ounces grated Italian fontina cheese

1  tablespoon Colman's dry English mustard

2  tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

4  jumbo eggs, at room temperature

2  cups heavy or whipping cream, at room temperature

1  teaspoon salt

2  teaspoons white pepper

4  ounces grated mozzarella cheese

4  ounces grated provolone cheese

8  tablespoons finely-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or Asiago cheese

red pepper flakes, for topping casserole 

no-stick cooking spray

~ Step 1.  Once the pasta is cooked, this recipe will go together very quickly, so be sure to do the following prep work prior to cooking the pasta:

A.  Grate the cheddar and fontina cheeses and thoroughly toss/mix them in a large food storage bag.  Grate the mozzarella and provolone cheeses and thoroughly toss/mix them together in a second food storage bag.  Grate the Parmigiano-Reggiano or Asiago cheese. 

B.  In a small mixing bowl, whisk the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.  Whisk in the eggs, then the cream.  Continue to whisk until the mixture is smooth and uniform in color.

~ Step 2.  Cook the pasta.  In an 8-quart stockpot bring 5 quarts of water to a rolling boil.  Add the salt to the boiling water. 

Add the pasta to the water and give it a brief stir.  Adjust heat to a rapid simmer and continue to cook until the pasta is al dente, about 9 minutes.  Do not overcook (remember the pasta is going to cook a second time in the oven, so error on the side of undercooking)!  Transfer to a colander to drain.  Do not rinse pasta.

Place the butter in the still warm stockpot and return pot to the still warm stovetop.  While the butter is melting, give the colander a few good shakes to make sure as much of the water as possible is removed from the pasta.  Add the pasta to the melted butter (on the still warm stovetop).  Using a large spoon, gently toss the pasta until it is coated in the butter and no butter remains puddled in the bottom of the pot.  This will take about 1-2 minutes.

~ Step 3.  Keep the pot on the still warm stovetop.  Add the bag of grated cheddar and fontina cheeses to the pasta. 

Gently fold the cheese into the butter coated pasta.  Be gentle so you don't break up the pasta while you're folding.  I find it easiest to position my spoon at the bottom of the pot and lift the pasta up into the grated cheese to fold/mix it.

~ Step 4.  Briefly rewhisk and pour the cream mixture into the pasta.  Gently, thoroughly combine all the ingredients.  Mixture will be soupy in consistency.

Now at this point I like to let the pasta sit in the pot about 15-20 minutes.  Every 5 minutes or so, I give it another brief stir.  This gives the pasta a chance to absorb some of the moisture prior to baking.

~ Step 5.  Spray casserole w/no-stick spray.   Transfer pasta mixture to casserole.  Distribute the grated mozzarella and provolone over the top.  Sprinkle the Parm-Regg or Asiago over all.  Top with a light sprinkling of red pepper flakes.

~ Step 6.  Bake on center rack of preheated 350 degree oven, about 40 minutes.  Mac & cheese will be golden brown and bubbly around the edges.  Because some oven temperatures do vary slightly, if your mac & cheese begins to get too brown, loosely place a piece of aluminum foil over the top during the last 5-10 minutes of baking.

Remove from oven and allow to rest about 10-15 minutes just prior to scooping on plates...

... and eating ooey-gooey cheesey-steamy hot!

Creamy Baked Five-Cheese Macaroni & Cheese:  Recipe yields 12-16 servings.

Special Equipment List:  cheese grater; 2 large food storage bags; whisk; 8-quart stockpot; colander; large spoon; 3-quart or 13" x 9" x 2" casserole; aluminum foil (optional)

Cook's Note:  Macaroni and cheese can be prepared and baked up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated.  Return to room temperature and reheat gently in the microwave.  

On occasion, I do add crisply fried and chopped bacon to the mixture (about 1 cup), stirring it in just after the cream mixture.  For an easy way to prepare bacon with no mess, read my recipe ~ Crispy Oven-Roasted Bacon ~ found in categories 9, 15 & 20.

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2010) 

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Comments

[KitchenEncounters]

Good morning Jen -- Great to hear from you again. It will work either way. Think in terms of lasagna. Sometimes we make two, bake one and freeze one, and, sometimes we make two, bake two and freeze the leftovers. Mac and cheese works the same. Have a great weekend. Stay safe & be well my friend. ~ Mel.

[Jen Davis]

Hi Melanie,

I was thinking of making this and freezing half. (We COULD eat a whole pan....but we probably shouldn't!)

Do you think it would be better to freeze it before baking or after?

Thanks so much, hope you are well.

[KitchenEncounters]

Jen -- So happy you found this recipe. My son (who is very picky about macaroni and cheese) loves this recipe and makes it for his own family and friends. When he's serving it to someone for the first time, he says (I kid you not), "this mac and cheese will change your life!" Hahaha!!! ~ Mel.

[Jen Davis]

Hi Melanie,

I made this a couple of months ago and forgot to write you a note about it. I grew up eating mostly the boxed stuff (I know, I know) and despite trying many recipes I have never found a homemade version that I thought was worth the effort....UNTIL NOW! I usually find baked mac and cheese bland and the sauce grainy, but this one is so good!! Not sure if it's the mix of cheeses or the mustard and Worcestershire sauce or the combination, but I can stop looking for recipes. This is my go-to from now on! Thank you! Can't wait to make it for a party when we can have parties again. :)

[Kitchen Encounters]

Debbie -- great to hear from you again. This recipe is indeed a keeper!!!

[Debra Kay Blair]

Yes! This is one I have been looking for. Thank You Melanie! Perfect. Can´t wait to try it!

[Kitchen Encounters]

Teresa! Your comment made my day, and, coming from a talented foodie like you it means even more to me!!! ~ Mel.

[Teresa Gottier]

Melanie, this is the most GOODEST, cheesiest, and creamiest mac and cheese I have ever made or eaten, bar none! OMG!

[Kitchen Encounters]

Amateur Cook! All of the feedback on this recipe is the same: sensational! In terms of macaroni and cheese, you couldn't ask for a better one!!!

[Amateur Cook]

 Yep that's one fine M n C which has made my mouth water just looking at  the picture. The flavour must be sensational!

[Kitchen Encounters]

Thanks MBT! It tastes as good as it looks and it's really easy to make too!

[MBT Shoes]

Hi!your post is very cool and Very interesting post - Might be old new, but it was new to me.

[Kitchen Encounters]

Mac & Cheese! You're gonna love that first bite...yummy! Let us know how it goes!

[Macaroni & Cheese]

Looks delicious. Perfectly done. The color speaks for itself.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrSTQDVc0tc I could almost smell this. Cant wait to prepare and take a bite. Gonna be the first thing tomo. Yummy recipe..

[Kitchen Encounters]

Dining Tables! What a nice way to describe "cheesy". I do hope you will try the recipe. Let me know how it goes!

[dining tables]

I think that this is the cheesiest that it can get! I just love it.

[jesse.]

How would you add Goat Cheese to this?