MACARONI & CHEESE

8 T. butter
6 Slices of white bread (crusts removed and torn into 1/4 inch pieces)
5 1/2 C. Milk
1/2 C. All-purpose flour
2 t. Salt
1/4 t. Nutmeg
1/4 t. Freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 t. Cayenne Pepper
4 1/2 C. Grated Sharp White Cheddar Cheese
1 lb. Elbow Macaroni (Barilla with twist and ridges works nicely)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Lightly butter a 3qt. casserole dish with butter.
3. Place torn bread in a separate dish
4. In a large stock pot bring slightly salted water to a boil,add pasta and cook about half the required time. Transfer pasta to a colander, rinse under cold water and drain well.
5. Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, pour over bread, and toss. Set aside.
6. Warm milk in saucepan over medium-heat.
7. Melt remaining butter in a high-sided skillet over medium-heat. Once the butter begins to bubble, add flour, stirring constantly for 1-minute.
8. While whisking the butter-flour mixture, add hot milk a little at a time to keep mixture smooth. Continue cooking whisking constantly, until mixture bubbles and thickens 8-12 minutes.
9. Remove from heat and add nutmeg, cracked pepper, and cayenne pepper. Blend well.
10. Now add cheese to mixture and blend until smooth. Add pasta.
11. Stir pasta into the cheese sauce.
12. Pour mixture into prepare dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese and bread crumbs over the top.
13. Bake until golden brown, about 30-minutes
14. Let cool 5-10 minutes to set.

OPTIONS
-Bacon bits can be added to the top (do not use bac-o's)
-Barilla Elbow pasta with ridges and twists is a good choice pasta
-Cabot Vintage Cheddar Cheese (comes in a black wrapper) is an excellent cheese for this.
-This recipe can be halved. If you do be sure to use a 1 1/2 qt casserole dish.

From: Lisa Alpert

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