Martha Stewart's Macaroni and Cheese

Even though I already have a kick-ass recipe for mac 'n cheese, I occasionally try a new one, just to see what's out there. I've read a lot of great things about this recipe and I agree with the positive reviews. This is creamy (and of course cheesy), plus the toasted bread cubes on top add a wonderful crunch. It's definitely solid and I would be just as happy to eat this mac and cheese, as I would be to eat my old favorite. I guess you could call it a draw.

 MARTHA STEWART'S MACARONI AND CHEESE

Serves 12

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish

6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn or diced into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces

5 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

4 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 18 ounces)

2 cups grated gruyere (about 8 oz.) or 1 1/4 cups grated pecorino romano (about 5 oz.)

1 pound elbow macaroni (or other small pasta shape)

1.      Heat oven to 375º F. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter (alternately, melt butter in the microwave). Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set breadcrumbs aside. Pull out 1 1/2 cups of grated cheddar, and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and reserve.

2.      Fill a large pot with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer's directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Set aside.

3.      In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. In the same pot you used for boiling the pasta, melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute.

4.      While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

5.      Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup Pecorino Romano. Stir reserved macaroni into the cheese sauce.

6.      Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and breadcrumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. If after 30 minutes, it's not browned to your liking, broil the topping rather than leaving it in the oven, which may cause the pasta to overcook and sauce to dry out. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes; serve hot.

originally from Martha Stewart (adapted from food52)

cutting bread cubes

pouring butter over bread cubes

melted butter

flour and milk whisked in (roux)

stirring in cheeses (spices already added)

adding cooked macaroni

macaroni mixture in the pan

It's going to seem too soupy, but a lot gets
absorbed as it bakes. It ends up just right.

cheese sprinkled

bread cubes on top

Martha Stewart's Macaroni & Cheese

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Spicy Maple Mayonnaise (on Chicken & Waffle Sandwiches)

I came across a recipe for chicken & waffle sandwiches that looked fantastic. Only I didn't have time to make the fried chicken from scratch and I had some fancy waffle mix burning a whole in my kitchen cabinet, so I cheated and took shortcuts. I used Bell & Evans chicken tenders and the aforementioned waffle mix and proceeded to follow the rest of the original recipe. The only part I made from scratch was this spicy maple mayonnaise, which I recommend trying. It was scrumptious and I'm sure it taste great on all kinds of sandwiches.
 

SPICY MAPLE MAYONNAISE

Yield: 1 ¼ cups

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

1 teaspoon horseradish
dash or two of hot sauce (such as tabasco)

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Can be made 1-2 days ahead.

barely adapted from foodnetwork.com by Julie Ohnstad, Atlanta, GA

all the ingredients

spicy maple mayonnaise

CHICKEN & WAFFLE SANDWICHES FOR CHEATERS & SHORTCUT TAKERS

Yield: 4 servings

8 waffles, kept warm

12 slices applewood smoked bacon, cooked until crispy and drained

12 Bell & Evans breaded chicken breast tenders, cooked according to package directions

8 slices sharp cheddar

Spicy Maple Mayonnaise (recipe above)

1.      Preheat broiler.

2.      Lay 4 waffle halves on a sheetpan. Top each with 3 chicken tenders, 3 slices bacon and 2 slices cheddar.

3.      Broil the sandwiches just until the cheese melts (careful, it doesn’t take long).

4.      Spread about 3 tablespoons spicy maple mayonnaise on the top waffle and place on the sandwich.

waffles

chicken tenders

bacon

cheddar

melted

spicy maple mayonnaise on waffle

chicken & waffle sandwich

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Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits

I'm totally in love with these biscuits. Head over heels. Giddy as a school girl. And to think, I made them just to use up the extra buttermilk I had leftover from making buttermilk ice cream. Little did I know they would rock my world with their fluffiness and buttermilky/cheddary goodness. Mmm doesn't even begin to cover it. If you have more than four people around, double the recipe. Trust me.

BUTTERMILK CHEDDAR BISCUITS

Yield: 8 biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt (or other coarse salt)

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

1/2 cup cold buttermilk, shaken

1 cold extra-large egg

1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar

1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water or milk

Maldon flaked sea salt (or fleur de sel or other coarse salt), for sprinkling on top

1.      Preheat oven to 425º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.      Place the flour, baking powder and salt in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, add the butter and mix until the butter is the size of peas.

3.      Combine the buttermilk and egg in a small measuring cup and beat lightly with a fork. With the mixer still on low, quickly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix only until moistened.

4.      In a small bowl, mix the cheddar with small handful of flour and, with the mixer still on low, add the cheese to the dough. Mix only until roughly combined.

5.      Dump out onto a well-floured board and knead lightly about 6 times. Roll the dough out to a rectangle 10 by 5 inches. With a sharp, floured knife, cut the dough lengthwise in half and then across in quarters, making 8 rough rectangles. Transfer to lined sheet pan.

6.      Brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle with salt, if using. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the biscuits are cooked through. Serve hot or warm.

barely adapted from Ina Garten

grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Use the good stuff if possible - it's worth it!

adding butter to the flour, baking powder & salt

mixed

adding buttermilk/egg mixture

mixed

adding the floured cheese

rough dough

dough gathered into an oval

rolled dough

dough roughly cut into biscuits

brushing with butter

sprinkling with flaked salt

buttered and salted - ready to bake

baked buttermilk cheddar biscuits

Definitely serve these warm.

buttermilk cheddar biscuit, up close

behold the fluffiness

UPDATE: Here's a nice variation I made:
buttermilk-cheddar-bacon-chive biscuits.

Just add 6 slices bacon (cooked until crispy, blotted dry
and chopped) + 1/4 cup minced chives, when you're
adding the cheese. I also used slightly less salt (since I
was adding salty bacon). They were sooo good!

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