Macaroni and Cheese

Adapted from Basics with Babish

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Step 1

On a stovetop, start by cooking your pasta of choice. While they’re cooking, make a pan of bechamel - method below.

Step 2

Once the bechamel/mornay sauce is finished, place the cooked pasta into a casserole dish and pour the cheese sauce over top. Stir together inside the casserole dish.

Step 3

After the cheese sauce has been evenly dispersed, add the cubed mozzarella and mix to make sure it’s evenly distributed.

Step 4

Top the whole thing with another 2-3 ounces of grated cheddar and 1 ounce of grated parmesan.

Step 5

Place into a 375°F oven for about 45 minutes (rotating once halfway through) and bake until a golden brown on top.

Step 6

Let sit and rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Step 7

Start by shredding the parmesan, gruyere, fontina, and sharp white cheddar on the large hole side of a box grater and cubing the mozzarella cheese. All together it should be 1 ½ lb.

Step 8

In a large saucepan, melt ¼ cup of butter over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until it stops spattering, the stage right before browning. Make sure to swirl regularly so the butter doesn’t splatter.

Step 9

At this point, add ¼ cup of flour and whisk into a thick paste and cook for 2-3 minutes until the raw flour smell dissipates.

Step 10

At which point, slowly add the 4 cups of cold milk a little at a time. Slowly add ½ cup of milk while whisking together until it reaches a smooth paste then add another ½ cup whisk until smooth, and so on and so forth until all of the 4 cups of milk have been added.

Step 11

Whisk that rigorously over medium-high heat until it comes to a bare simmer and reaches a consistency of just thicker than that of heavy cream.

Step 12

Once the bechamel is finished, combine all the cheese (except mozzarella) into a heatproof bowl. Pour the bechamel over top through a fine-mesh strainer. Fold the cheese into the bechamel and whisk until it is fully melted and turned into a mornay sauce.

Step 13

Season with a bunch of salt, freshly ground pepper, cayenne pepper (optional), and 2 tablespoons of whole grain mustard and whisk to combine.