Homemade macaroni and cheese is almost always a Good Thing, but is Martha Stewart's recipe perhaps the best of all? Food52 has declared it a "genius recipe" and explains why this version of mac and cheese — creamy, sharp and capped with a layer of crunchy croutons — is a keeper.
One of the key elements is the mornay sauce that surrounds and permeates the pasta as it bakes. Flour, butter and milk are cooked into a béchamel to which grated sharp cheddar and Gruyere are added, resulting in a rich, creamy sauce that won't break down during baking. Torn up white bread is tossed with butter and scattered over the dish, transforming into a crunchy, substantial topping in the oven.
Having made this recipe many times, I have to agree that it is something special. The sauce-to-pasta ratio is just perfect, so the macaroni is neither too dry or too soupy after baking, and the combination of cheddar and Gruyere makes a sauce that is pleasantly sharp without being overpowering. And that layer of craggy croutons takes the usual breadcrumb topping to the next level. It's my go-to mac and cheese recipe, although I often make it with whole-wheat pasta, which holds up well to the sharp sauce.
• Read more and get the recipe: Martha Stewart's Macaroni and Cheese at Food52
Have you ever made this recipe? What is your favorite version of macaroni and cheese?
Related: Back to School Recipe: The Ultimate Mac & Mornay
(Image: Martha Stewart)
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Yes, Martha's is the best. I especially appreciate the nutmeg and cayenne pepper.
I just made this for my dad for his birthday (his request). it's dangerously good.
It's my go-to recipe!
Has anybody frozen this? I'm stocking my freezer with meals in preparation for the birth of my first children (twins!) and am looking for an awesome mac & cheese recipe that will stand up to a couple weeks/months in the freezer.
YES! It's totally the stuff of special occasions though, and perfect for casual get-togethers with big groups. I like Mark Bittman's version in HTCE as well. Not QUITE as sinful.
I never met a macaroni recipe I wouldn't try. :) I've been using Alton Brown's recipe for years, but this sounds divine.
Love me some Martha.....
Heck no! I've made a mac and cheese recipe from Ina Garten for years and everyone whose had it thinks its the best. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/mac-and-cheese-recipe/index.html
Although I have to say that once you have the basics down, mac and cheese is such a versatile dish that it's so easy to put your own spin on it.
I don't like baked mac 'n' cheese - it takes too long! Boiled pasta and a quick stovetop white sauce with mustard, real cheese (any kind), and lots of salt with a little pepper in a bit of a soupy sauce stirred into hot fresh pasta - the pasta absorbs some of the liquid and makes for a thick, creamy mac. SO GOOD. And so incredibly addictive - it's hard to eat just one bowl.
I've tried many recipes (Martha's is indeed awesome) and even more frequently, just thrown a mac together with what I've got. But melting the cheese into the bechamal to make a mornay is a step I never skip. It's the dif between pasta with cheese stuck to it and luscious bubbly creamy mac and cheese whether you bake it or not.
I'm a big fan of this one from Saveur:
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Artisanal-Macaroni-and-Cheese
Definitely a lot more adult friendly with it's gourmet cheeses!
I made this recipe the day it was posted on food52. I followed the recipe to a T and while it's very good, especially the bread crust, I found the mac and cheese itself to be kind of dry. It had the consistency of left over mac and cheese, you know when it dries out a bit in the fridge. I also found the flavor profile of the cheese sauce to be pretty one dimensional. Definitely not a bad recipe and I don't think any guests would have anything but praise. I am just being picky here.
This is just a basic mac and cheese recipe, aside form the torn bread crust top. Nothing special about it. I make mine without a recipe and it's always like this, just with whatever kinds of cheese we want that night, and buttered panko on top.
This is our "go to" recipe as well for years. We all love it, kids and adults.
Beechers from Seattle -
http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/food/article/Mac-and-cheese-cheese-cheese-1248595.php
Nope, because the perfect mac and cheese has big chunks of ham in it.
Yes, you can freeze it and it will still taste great!
The red onion, tomato, basil and gorgonzola in ReadyMade magazine's mac n cheese recipe has been a hit everytime I've made it for friends: http://www.readymade.com/magazine/article/food_for_tot
I don't live in WA but I always keep Beecher's cheese on hand to make their superb mac & cheese. It is the best!
I've made this version before and it seemed way to complicated (although I've become a more accomplished cook) - however, my go to is the Cook's Illustrated version - and Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen recipes are my go to anytime...
This seems to complicating for an old man like me, but I always find myself on the lookout for a great Mac n cheese. I've never made a béchamel so maybe that's why I'm still looking. Any tips to make this a little easier and with a cheese besides gruyere, as I'm sure I won't be able to find it?
Can we ever find the mac and cheese flavor that transports us back to our childhood? I haven't tried the Martha's yet and it sounds interesting, but I am looking for the flavor of mac and cheese my Grandmother used to make every Friday. Hers was not dry, creamy and bubbly with tomatoes floating on top of all that cheesy goodness. Thanks to all who added their favorites. I will have to try these out and do a mac and cheese taste testing party this fall and decide which one is the go-to favorite.
My stand-by is still the one from Joy of Cooking!
Oh, does this delicious recipe bring back a flood of fond summer memories from the early 2000s! My cousin and I were staying in his parents' summer cottage in Canada where we made this mac n' cheese and picked at the leftovers for days. I was obsessed with Martha Stewart at the time. We had a collection of fake mustaches that we were fond of wearing at the time, and the steam from the pasta water caused his mustache to fall off into the strainer but we forged ahead anyway and the finished result was scrumptious.
This is the best Mac n' Cheese on the planet. It's also 9/10ths of the recipe for DuMac n' cheese from Dumont. I've made this multiple ways including topped with truffle salt, entirely gluten-free and also by following the given recipe to the T. It never disappoints. Never.