There's nothing like comfort food done right... Big business and up market restaurants would seem to agree - have you see those 'world's best mac'n'cheese' in the grocery store for $14?
In the belief that it doesn't take $14 worth of ingredients or even $3 to make the best macaroni, I've set out on my quest for the ideal recipe. I'm not there yet, but here's my conclusions so far.
Pasta - to a large extent, this is personal preference, but I think a chewier variety works best, so I'd tend to avoid fresh pasta which generally melts in the mouth. Either way, I cook it to just before al dente as finishing in the sauce will add the final moisture it needs.
Sauce - I always use strong flavored cheeses (meaning I use less = less fat) and I always use more than one type to add complexity beyond just being cheesy. I've seen some people even use a blue cheese as one of their choices.
Different cheeses also have different characteristics with regards to first impressions to the aftertaste. So if you want it to linger, mixing up cow milk cheese and goat's milk for example could work well. I think avoiding the likes of mozzarella is a good idea - it has a unique flavor fresh but I don't think it works well in the sauce.
The other thing I think it important is to make a really thick sauce, so use extra corn starch or flour. Make enough to really coat the pasta well.
Obviously other flavors can help too - seasoning is obvious, but try something else like a touch of mustard.
The pan - There needs to be a nice balance between the topping and the rest of the dish, so I'd use a shallower dish that gives a nice amount of topping.
The preparation - having cooked the pasta and the sauce, toss the pasta - you can do this in the pan to avoid any wastage. Avoid pressing down so that some of the pasta is still spiking up - this will add more surface area to brown.
The topping - many macs have breadcrumbs and cheese on top. I think this is fine, but I don't go overboard on the breadcrumbs - maybe a slice and half for a square foot pan. I add the crumbs first, then sprinkle the grated cheese on top (as the crumbs will burn quickly under a hot broiler).
What I also think works well is some onion slices on top of the cheese and breadcrumb. Since the onion browns very slowly (and goal is to caramelize it), you might want to start the onion off in a pan until it just starts to brown.
Some cherry tomatoes on top could also add another dimension. Then under a really hot broiler until the cheese and onion and poking through pasta is golden brown!
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