Macaroni and Cheese with Buttery Crumbs

I am one of those weird people who have never been a fan of macaroni and cheese.  I'm not a huge fan of cheese in food.  I love eating cheese by itself, but melted cheese in pasta is kind of too rich for me.  But I know people love macaroni and cheese and it's a common Thanksgiving side dish so I decided to try to make a batch.  

Macaroni and Cheese with Buttery Crumbs

Grace Parisi

Ingredient

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups half-and-half or whole milk

1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 pound Colby cheese, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pound elbow macaroni

3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350°. Generously butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook over moderate heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the half-and-half and cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add one-half of the Cheddar and Colby cheeses and cook over low heat, stirring, until melted.

Stir in the mustard, nutmeg and cayenne; season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook the elbow macaroni in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain very well. Return the macaroni to the pot.

Add the cheese sauce and the remaining cheese and stir until combined. Spread the macaroni in the prepared baking dish.

In a small glass bowl, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a microwave oven. Add the bread crumbs, season with salt and pepper and stir until evenly moistened. Sprinkle the buttered crumbs over the macaroni and bake for 45 minutes, or until bubbling and golden on top. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

 I think this was a hit because if I didn't have any leftovers.  I don't really remember even trying a bite, so not sure whether I liked this or not.  But clearly other people did, lol.  I recently tried the andouille sausage and crawfish mac & cheese from the Southern Mac & Cheese Truck and really liked it.  Usually I get sick of it after a bite or two, but within a 2 day span, I finished the whole thing.  hehe.  Maybe I will become a mac & cheese convert after all ...