Isn't It Always a Blue Box?

Did you grow up on the blue box? I grew up on the blue box. It was always evident when the blue box was a store brand-- there's some particular sensation of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese regarding mouthfeel-- but I'm pretty certain the box is always the same: Safeway Select, Lady Lee, Sunnyside Farms... isn't it always a blue box?

Sometimes you get tired of that damn box, the cups of milk and margarine or butter, the powdered cheese... and sometimes you see things on television that make you think, why the HELL have I been cooking that from a box?

Enter Alton Brown's macaroni & cheese, baked in the oven, delicious and creamy and yummy and practically a meal unto itself.

I first came across this recipe shortly after viewing the episode it's featured in-- but it was another year or so before I actually tried it. This isn't my first outing, but the results are always the same: delectable, creamy, cheesy, and with just the right bite from the paprika and just the right note from the onions. Overall, this recipe = FTW.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Time:

45 when you have it down pat; allot 1 hr 15 when you're a first timer

Tools:

2 large pots, 1 2-quart casserole, measuring utensils, whisk, cheese grater, extra bowl, ladle

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni, 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespons flour, 1 tablespoon powdered mustard, 3 cups milk, 1/2 cup (or so!) of sweet white onion, finely diced, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 large egg, 12 ounces medium or sharp shredded cheddar cheese, 1 tsp kosher salt, fresh black pepper; topping: about a cup to a cup & a half panko bread crumbs + 2 tbsp butter

Gather your ingredients.

While I'm getting stuff together, I like to get my water to the right temperature. It's a lot easier to reduce the heat and bring it back to a boil than it is to bring it to a boil from the get go once everything is assembled.

Once you've got everything together, turn your oven to 350 and preheat. If your oven takes FOR-EV-ER like my old oven, then make sure to do this a little earlier on in the process.

Once that water comes to a boil, drop in your macaroni. The package is surely going to have instructions, but in case you bought some sort of crazy non-instruction-having macaroni, you want to cook it until it's al dente, or approximately 6-8 minutes on a rolling boil. If you'd like to salt the water, be my guest. I personally think that the salt from the cheese and butter is sufficient until everything has been combined and you have a chance to taste, but if you're a salter: salt away (cautiously...).

Now, while the macaroni is jauntily boiling away with your occasional stir, you can get some other stuff together in your other large pot! Lucky you. Macaroni awaits. Melt your butter in this pot. Whisk in the flour & mustard. No lumps!

Add the onion, milk, paprika, & bay leaf. Make sure to add that onion first-- you don't want to get splashed! Bring to a simmer and let it do it's flavor melding thing for about ten minutes. Remove the bay leaf.

By now, the oven should be ready and your house should smell kinda awesome.

Here comes the tought part: temper the egg into the mixture.

The first time I tempered an egg it was a disaster-- there's no question. The first time I did almost *everything* it was a disaster, but we'll leave that alone for now. What's really important is the key to tempering: adding the egg when it's brought to temperature and not a moment before.

There are a couple of reasons I've found this to be true: one, your egg does the binding thing better than if it's not tempered; two: if you fuck it up, you can try again and nothing's been added to your otherwise fine culinary specimen; three: it's great practice.

So use a ladle and add small amounts of your simmered mixture to the egg, half-whisking, half-folding it in until the mixture feels slightly warm, but not too hot. It takes practice. Sometimes I still can't temper an egg, which is frustrating. Other people can temper no problemo-- but I always want to rush the issue...

Anyway.

Now that the egg is all tempered and added to the mixture, stir in almost all of the cheese (about 3/4) until it's well-mixed. Season to taste with salt and pepper (don't forget: you can ALWAYS add more!) and then fold in the macaroni, a bit at a time. Once you're all foldy-foldy gooshy goop, slide it into the casserole dish and top with the remaining cheddar cheese.

Now, the topping: melt remaining butter, toss panko in butter, spread evenly across macaroni.

Throw that bad boy in the oven for 30 minutes and make sure to cool at least five minutes before serving. (Unless you like to burn tastebuds and increase general malaise because the deliciousness cannot be tasted.)

I made chicken breasts with a creamy dill sauce and spinach to go along with this, but honestly -- the mac is the star.

dill chicken:

tools: skillet big enough to fit 2 chicken breasts, knives, scissors, tongs, whisk

ingredients: 1 full chicken breast, boneless, heavy cream, butter, fresh dill, salt, pepper, garlic powder

This kinda just came together- I didn't follow a recipe.

I pounded out my chicken.

I sprinkled each side with some fresh dill, which I cut with scissors; some salt, some pepper and a tad bit of garlic powder. I put these into a hot pan with olive oil, and cooked until the juice ran clear (about 7-9 minutes).

While that was happening, I whisked some butter with a sprinkle of flour and then added a bit of heavy cream, whisking and tasting until it was a little milk and a little salty. It was probably about 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 3 tbsp butter, with just enough flour in the butter to thicken. I made it up so I didn't really measure. Then I trimmed a buncha fresh dill into the mix, and added salt and pepper to taste. It was running close to being to milky, so I added a bit more salt and that balanced things out.

For the spinach, it was a quick steam job with olive oil, water and a few red pepper flakes.

Even the cat's couldn't resist.

The next time you need a comfort food on a rainy afternoon and you're willing to invest a little bit of time, make some mac and cheese. And if you want to get really crazy with it, add bacon!!