A Decadent Mac and Cheese

And this is no blue box dinner! Jessie-Sierra Ross, who wrote the new cookbook, Seasons Around the Table, came by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her take on Macaroni and Cheese, please! She says there's no processed cheese sauce, here, just good old fashioned gruyere and orange cheddar. It's creamy, it's decadent and it's delicious. See, Mac and Cheese just isn't for the kids! At least if you do it the right way!

serves 6-8  

2 cups of large shell pasta 

6 ounces of orange cheddar cheese, shredded

4 ounces of gruyere cheese,

2 ounces aged parmesan, finely shredded

1 cup of milk

1/2 cup unsweetened corn flakes

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

pinch ground cayenne pepper

generous pinch kosher salt  

Preheat your oven to 375F, and butter a medium sized baking dish. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil and cook the pasta 2 minutes under what the box directions advise (12 minutes for the large shells in my case). Once cooked, drain and put aside.  

While the pasta water is heating, place a medium sized pot with two inches of water to boil over high heat. Wash and trim the cauliflower into small florets.

Once the medium pot of water has come to a boil, drop the cauliflower in and cook until tender (not mushy!), about 8-10 minutes. Drain and put aside. 

Shred your cheeses and reserve.  

In a large dutch oven or saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter on medium high heat, until frothy. Add the flour and stir with a whisk or wooden spoon constantly.

Cook until the paste turns an almost nut-brown. This is your roux. (if you don’t get the right color, the flour will taste uncooked!)  

Once the roux is cooked, immediately add in the milk. Continue stirring and cook for 3-5 minutes. The mix will thicken slightly. Add in the spices.

Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cheeses.

Continue to stir until smooth. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. 

Combine the cooked pasta with the cheese sauce.

Pour the macaroni and cheese into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the corn flakes over the top evenly.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until bubbly. I like to finish it under the broiler for a minute or two, to give it a bit more color and crunch on top. Be careful not to burn the corn flakes.