Mac ‘n Cheese

There are all kinds of way to make Mac ‘n Cheese, including our  World Famous Lobster Chowda Mac ‘n Cheese that I made for Edible DC when they came over for a day of cooking.  That is a lot of work and usually for special occasions, Christmas Parties and just about any big event at LPB.  I started making this when I was in high school in the seacoast of New Hampshire.

Ingredients

• One pound of rigatoni pasta
  
• 12 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 ounces of aged gouda cheese, grated
• 6 ounces of fontina cheese, grated, separate 2 ounces to top the dish
• 4 cups of whole milk, heated 
• 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 8oz of panko breadcrumbs
• 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese 
  
• 3 tablespoons of chives, chopped

Making it

• Turn the oven to 375
• Bring the water to a boil, add two tablespoons of salt and then the pasta and cook until just barely al dente
• Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in a sauté pan and whisk in the flour.  Cook over medium low head for two minutes the whisk in the hot milk,  one cup at a time.  Stir for 2-3 minutes until it thickens.  Whisk in  the dried mustard,  take the pan off the heat and add the grated cheese and mix.  Add salt and pepper to taste and then mix in the pasta
• Put a dry sauté pan over medium head and add panko bread crumbs, stirring them until lightly brown. Take off the  heat and set aside 
• Put the pasta/cheese in a baking dish and top with the remaining fontina, parmesan, breadcrumbs and chives, bake for 30-40 minutes and let rest 15 minutes before serving