Martha Stewart's Creamy Mac & Cheese

One thing mom and I have in common is a genuine love for homemade mac & cheese.  It's not something I try to indulge in often anymore, but when I do, I want it to be goooood.  Since Mom was coming down on Saturday night I decided to whip up a batch of Martha Stewart's Mac & Cheese that I found on Smitten Kitchen awhile back and have been dying to try.  The recipe is huge and says it serves 12, so I halved the below recipe to feed us and have yummy leftovers.  Another thing we both love?  Tomatoes with our Mac & Cheese, and luckily I had a pint of grape tomatoes that were perfect for the meal.  This Mac & Cheese is definitely one of the best I've ever tasted {we both went back for seconds, cuz why not??} - making that decadent cheese sauce is way better than just shredding some cheese over noodles and baking it for a bit.  It's not something I'll be able to make over and over if I want to continue to fit into my pants, but for special occasions like Mother's Day, it's absolutely perfect :)

Martha's Mac & Cheese

Ingredients
8 Tblsp {1 stick} unsalted butter
6 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/2 inch pieces
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups {about 18oz} grated sharp white cheddar cheese
2 cups {about 8 oz} grated Gruyere
1 lb elbow macaroni

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375.  Butter a 3 quart casserole dish and set aside.  Place bread in medium bowl.  In small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 Tblsp butter.  Pour melted butter into bowl with bread and toss.  Set aside.
2. Warm milk in medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt remaining 6 Tblsp butter in high sided skillet over medium heat.  When butter bubbles, add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
3. While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth.  Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until mixture bubbles and becomes thick, 8 to 12 minutes.
4. Remove pan from heat.  Stir in salt, nutmeg, pepper, cayenne, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/3 cups Gruyere.  Set cheese sauce aside.
5. Meanwhile, cook macaroni in boiling water until outside of pasta is cooked, about 3-4 minutes.  Drain in colander and rinse under cold water.  Stir macaroni into cheese sauce.
6. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle remaining cheese and breadcrumbs on top.  Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.  Cool for 5 minutes, then serve.

Serves 12

adapted from smitten kitchen

xoxo,
stephanie marie