Friday, March 26, 2004
For Grace
frog’s macaroni and cheese, a la Betty Crocker
Half a box of fun, larger pasta (I like shells or big elbow or rigatoni)
Water
Salt
8 oz. or so of your favorite cheese(s), cubed
1 cup milk
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
Bread crumbs
Paprika, if you want to get really fancy
Preheat oven to 350 or 375 or so. Boil salted water and cook the pasta. Drain but don’t rinse. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and whisk it until it’s bubbly and smooth. Add the milk. Stir things around every so often while they’re heating. When it hits a slow boil, set the timer for one minute and stir throughout that 60 seconds (or whisk—whatever floats your boat). Turn off the burner and add the cubed cheese—stir until it’s as melted as you want it to be (I like to leave some lumps, but that’s just me). Add the pasta and stir until coated. Dump it into an unbuttered glass dish in which you’ve determined it will fit. Cover with bread crumbs. Bake for 45 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are appropriately toasty.
If you plan to serve your macaroni and cheese by candlelight, make this one instead.
frog’s macaroni and cheese, a la Betty Crocker
Half a box of fun, larger pasta (I like shells or big elbow or rigatoni)
Water
Salt
8 oz. or so of your favorite cheese(s), cubed
1 cup milk
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
Bread crumbs
Paprika, if you want to get really fancy
Preheat oven to 350 or 375 or so. Boil salted water and cook the pasta. Drain but don’t rinse. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and whisk it until it’s bubbly and smooth. Add the milk. Stir things around every so often while they’re heating. When it hits a slow boil, set the timer for one minute and stir throughout that 60 seconds (or whisk—whatever floats your boat). Turn off the burner and add the cubed cheese—stir until it’s as melted as you want it to be (I like to leave some lumps, but that’s just me). Add the pasta and stir until coated. Dump it into an unbuttered glass dish in which you’ve determined it will fit. Cover with bread crumbs. Bake for 45 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are appropriately toasty.
If you plan to serve your macaroni and cheese by candlelight, make this one instead.
