Nurturing my inner... run in the zone, eat outside the box

Today is another recipe that once you make at home, you'll not want to eat the boxed version again.  You can't let making bechamel sauce put you off.  The only thing complicated about it is the name.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

1 lb large shells or cavatapi, cooked al dente and drained
8 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
8 oz monterey jack, shredded

Bechamel Sauce Base

3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg

I decided on what I thought was a pretty traditional blend of two cheeses: sharp cheddar and monterey jack.  You can use all of one type or all of one color or two completely different cheeses than I did.  I know some people use four types of cheeses, but really, I figure you can't tell once it's over two.

The two I chose and was very happy with.

It's good to have the cheese shredded ahead of time and ready to go when the bechamel is where you need it.  (I learned this as I hadn't done that when I made it and had to do some rapid box grater action that I do not recommend under pressure.  Do not use sharp utensils when in a hurry or you can get hurt.  Fortunately I was fine.)

A full eight ounces of each per plate.

Lightly butter a baking dish just to ensure cheesy goodness doesn't stick to the pans later on.  Who wants to lose even one bite of that kind of extreme yumminess.  Not me.

Just enough to coat lightly.

Pasta drama begins...

Seeing as I'm a creative person, I get an idea in my head and then I want to do something exactly the way I picture it.  I do not want to stray from the plan.  When I went to the store to pick up the pasta choice I had decided on, in my head, I seemed to had a slight impasse.  I could not find cavatapi anywhere.  (I just don't get these southern states.)  No cavatapi to be found on all those shelves.  As I was nearly ready to throw a fit having felt completely put out by this disaster, I'm embarrassed to say, I had to stop and say to myself, "Oh Karen, stop acting like a child!  You live in an affluent area and your cupboard is full of food at any time.  Many people would be happy with any shape and just to have food on their tables every day.  So what if you can't get a specific shape of pasta you want.  You're very fortunate and need to remember that at all times."  I was really pretty ashamed of my initial attitude and was glad for the adjustment.  So, large shells it was and the world didn't come to an end.

This shape is traditional anyway.

Boil the pasta as per the instructions on the box so they are al dente.  These were around eight minutes.  You don't want to make them too soft because they will get additional cook time in the oven when you bake them.

On to the bechamel as promised.  Start by putting butter in a pan.  I used my Le Creuset enamel coated iron pan for it's ability not to burn.  Should be turned on to medium or a little more.  Just to melt the butter.  You don't want to make it too high and burn it.

Melts quickly.

Get your flour ready in a bowl because the butter melts quickly.

Measure out ahead of time.

When the butter is about halfway melted, add the flour and stir.  This is called making a roux, which in the end is really just a thickening agent for the stuff you're going to put in later.  Stir frequently because you don't want this to stick to the bottom of your pan or make the flour bitter.

Butter and heat toasts the flour and takes
off the raw flavor.

Measure out the milk and cream and have that handy too.  I chose more milk than cream to make sure it was creamy, but not overly thick.  If it was all milk, I think it would have been too thin for what I was going for.  You can decide what your perfect balance is.

Thank you to the cows.

When the roux is all mixed together for a couple minutes and appears slightly golden brown, add the milk, cream, salt and nutmeg.

Nutmeg is the hidden flavor in so many dishes.

Grab your whisk and begin to stir quickly, making sure none of it gets stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Stir and it will get thicker and thicker.

I read how some people like to add an egg and those staunch supporters of said egg feel very strongly that it really makes a textural difference.  I bought into the hype and added the egg.  (Couldn't hurt, right?)  Have it out for a bit before you go to use it so it becomes room temperature.

White egg, white bowl. Modern art.

In order to add a room temp egg to hot bechamel, you have to temper it.  You do that by taking a teaspoon of the hot creamy mixture and add it to the beaten egg.  And quickly stir.  Do this three or four times, until the egg has heated up.  If you do it too fast, you'll end up scrambling the egg, so go slowly, one teaspoon at a time.  Once you have the egg closer to the mixture's temperature, then pour this small bowl into your pot with the milky sauce and continue to whisk briskly.

And I learned it's not so scary.

Now the fun part - adding the star of the show!  I chose to put the entire eight ounces of cheddar into the pan and four ounces of the monterey jack.  I was saving four ounces of the monterey jack for the topping to keep it a light color, but you could just as well do the opposite and save the cheddar for a brighter orange topping.

Entire block of cheddar cheese.

Whisk the entire time to ensure no lumps and only a smooth texture.

This is the lighter monterey jack.

In just a few short minutes, the cheese all melts and you have a light orange, velvety cream sauce fit for a king.  Talk about ultimate comfort food.  And it wasn't even as hard as preparing your tax return.  (Plus the pay off is MUCH better.)

Unbelievable. That's all I have to say.

If you were boiling your pasta at the same time as I was, when it was ready, you drained it in a colander and it has been ready to go.  Pour the pasta directly into the pan with the cheese sauce.

Now it's looking familiar to you, I can tell.

Give that a quick mix, then pour it all into the greased baking pan you prepared earlier.  If it looks a little cheesier than you think it should, that's a good thing.  I found that the baking process makes the shells absorb the liquid, so you want to err on the side of creamy from the start.

I'm still working on better kitchen lighting.
Bear with me for now.

Top that with the four ounces of cheese you had set aside earlier.

Second to last step before it goes into the oven.

I think it's important to note at this point that you can add many things to mac & cheese to dress it up.  Chicken and broccoli, ham and peas, turkey and asparagus, ground beef, bacon.  (Just cook all the meat before you add it in.)  I often add broccoli to mine because I like veggies in there, but since I was taking this particular one out, I wanted to just make the best base mac & cheese I could for my friends.  (Yes, I was aiming to impress.)

Of course it has to have a crunchy topping.

Breadcrumb Topping

1/2 - 3/4 cup panko style breadcrumbs
1 - 2 tbsp melted butter

Any plain panko breadcrumb will do.  Not that you can't use flavored ones as well.  I like Panko because it's crunchier than regular breadcrumbs.  Just add the amount you are most comfortable with.  You can also make your own in a food processor from day old, stale bread.  I bet sourdough would be terrific.

 

No flavor to these, just crunch.

Melt butter in a small bowl and then add breadcrumbs and mix.

Probably not worth a photo, but there it is.

Sprinkle on top, cover with foil, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes.
 

You could almost eat it at this point, but
be strong and wait just a bit longer.

Uncover and put back in for another five minutes or until the top browns.  Keep an eye on it, because you don't want all your hard work to get wasted by getting burned on top.

Yeah, I know you want it.

But this story isn't over.  The reason I was making this was because my old Running 101 class was having their first pot luck dinner.  I hadn't been to the last two rounds, but many of the people in my class from last Spring have kept it up and some new people joined.  Many of them really bonded and they encourage one another every week.  One of the girls and her husband were nice enough to invite several people from the class over and one of the girls I keep in touch with invited me to join them as well.  (Boy, was I lucky.)

Let me tell you what I love about this group of people - 1.) They are all normal size people.  No zeros or twos.  2.) They are real foodies and enjoy cooking and eating.  (You obviously know I do.)

Everyone brought their A Game that night and the dinner party was a huge success!  (Partly because of the food, but also because the company was so great.)

Seriously, we don't mess around when you
say dinner party.

Crab and corn chowder - AMAZING!  (I'm going to see if she'll give me the recipe and then I can feature it one day.  It tasted almost like the one at Passion Fish.)

In roley-poley shot glasses for easy
consumption.

Creamy, herb center piped into a tiny red potato half.  So smooth and flavorful.

A guy made these, so to the men out there,
cooking is very masculine. Even when
you use a piping bag.

Crusty bread covered in artichoke spread, a great combo.

Like artichoke dip baked on bread. Easy
to pick up party food.

I definitely had a full plate.  (And unashamedly went back for seconds.)  There was chicken cacciatore, salad, mushroom crostadas, and asparagus with goat cheese and walnuts.  (Have I mentioned how I LOVE this group of people!)

What's not to like. Everything homemade!

Here's a quick shot of the desserts, but you'll have to hang on until another day for my recipe on...

I made the mystery cookies up front.

Yes, I left you on a cliff hanger on purpose.  Guess you'll have to come back around soon.  Until then these are my parting words: if you run, you can eat.

Special note: I'm really proud of everyone in that Running 101 class who continues to go out there twice a week at night together, in the dark (with a light) and bitter cold (with jackets), after a full day's work.  They truly inspire me and I plan on joining them again next Spring.  I hope some of you are inspired to take a running class at Potomac River Running next year.