Best Macaroni & Cheese?

Does anyon have an exceptionally delicious mac & cheese recipe that's baked nice and crispy on top? I would appreciate it!!
Thanx!

First thing is try the search function at the top. Over time there has been some great reciepes submitted from easy and quick to complex. I've tryed most of them, mac and cheese is a winter weakness of mine. But maybe we will get some new ones listed. Chow Jim

quote:

Originally posted by Libationbrew

Does anyon have an exceptionally delicious mac & cheese recipe that's baked nice and crispy on top? I would appreciate it!!
Thanx!

On a professional level, I would never do this, but at home Velveeta makes an appearance.
I make it with a basic white sauce, adding whatever cheese needed to move. So if I was to make it this week, I would use Swiss, some mozzarella and mostly my Mexican cheese mix. Oh yeah, I also do have some Velveeta.
Sometimes I feel that it lacks the 'cheesy' color one sees in maybe a Stouffer's product, so I add a little paprika, but have always been disappointed in turmeric.
Sherry or beer can help flavor this mix.
A splash of hot sauce and black pepper are essential.
You want it nicely brown and crispy on top? Use a mixture of bread crumbs, butter and cheese. I like Parmesan, but the mix should be sort of dry and crumbly.

As I said, I use whatever is in the fridge, and truth be told, mac-n-cheese is on my menu for dinner this week. This means that I may also be adding ham to it. I also have some meat chili, as chili-mac is also a winner.
If you add broccoli, you cover two food groups with starch and veggies....It's great for Thanksgiving.

mark

I recall years ago when Velveeta had their Mexican-flavored cheese, with a recipe for Chili-Mac right on the package. I always called it Mexican Chop Suey, since it was part chili, part American Chop Suey and part Mac & Cheese.

It was some combination of the Mexican Velveeta, ground beef and salsa. It was actually quite good, and I'm still carrying a couple of servings of that stuff around my waist.

John
(are there 3 better comfort foods than chili, American chop suey & mac & cheese?)

I love to fix Mac and Cheese as they do in the Bahamas. It is a great recipe. The elbows are mixed with sweated onion, hot peppers, and a cream/egg mixture with lots of caribbean spices, cheese, and hot sauce.

It sounds like a lot of heat, but it is much more flavorful than hot. Bakes up crispy. Can't remember the specs of the recipe, but if this sounds like it floats your boat, I'll re-post with the exact ingreidents and amounts.

Please, no Velveeta!

I use a number of different recipes, depending on mood, but my standard usually uses sharp or medium cheddar and some grated parmesan.

IMO the secret to a crispy top is the gratinee (i.e. breadcrumb topping). I use soft, fresh breadcrumbs, mix in a bit of cheese, and dot with butter.

Addendum: I looked on Epicurious and this is my standard recipe from Gourmet. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/11625 If you like crisp topping I'd do it in a 13x9 pan and increase the topping up to double.

Do a search for Macaroni and Cheese on Epicurious. I noticed another recipe from Gourmet that I haven't tried which looks similar to the above, but uses Panko for the topping. That should be crispy.

I find that if I mince onions finely and add oregano to the mac & cheese I make (I love Velveeta with Deli American)with the Italian Bread Crumbs and butter on top, its very good!

Best I've ever had came from "Everyday Italian" show with Giada DiLaurentiis. She makes a bechamel sauce with a cup of grated fontina cheese, mixes it with cooked rigatoni and half a pound of finely chopped sliced prosciutto, puts more cheese and some butter on top and bakes it until it has a crispy top. Our family loves it.

here's the one in my recipes folder on my pc - I make this about once a month but I'm not sure where I got it originally.

* 1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1 cup half-and-half
* 1/4 teaspoon paprika
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 2 1/2 cups grated sharp cheese, divided
* salt

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 350°. Cook macaroni in boiling salted water according to package directions; drain well and set aside. Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly.

Gradually stir in milk and half-and-half. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add paprika, pepper, and 2 cups of the cheese; stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Combine sauce with the macaroni and add salt to taste. Place in a buttered 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. Garnish top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and dot with additional butter. Bake 25 to 30 minutes.
Serves 4 to 6.

Oh boy-sounds just like my Mom used to make...will definately try this as i have been unable to duplicate hers

quote:

Originally posted by fabulousoyster

I find that if I mince onions finely and add oregano to the mac & cheese I make (I love Velveeta with Deli American)with the Italian Bread Crumbs and butter on top, its very good!

That's right, you reminded me. I like to mince about a quarter-cup or so of onion (a shallot or two instead is also good) into the butter and soften it before adding flour and making the sauce.

This hot Summer has me out of practice. Looking forward to Fall so I can make mac & cheese again.

I make mine with evaporated milk and white American cheese and it comes out very good. Oh, I use small shells macaroni,too.