By: Romaine C. Martin III
I consider Mac & Cheese one of the many great gifts from Black folk to America. It was introduced to the USA by James Hemings – an enslaved man “owned” by Thomas Jefferson and founding father of American cuisine – after he returned from culinary training in France at Jefferson’s direction. Today, there is an unfortunate ambiguity between Mac & Cheese as Hemings made it and its more humble and expeditious cousin, stovetop mac. While the stovetop style has its place, that place is decidedly not at the table of a Black function. This recipe is a variation of my aunt’s and has filled my plate at many a holiday gathering.
Time: 30 minutes prep time, 40 minutes cook time
Serves: 8
Ingredients
2 lbs cheese, grated, plus more to taste – I like a mix of sharp cheddar (for in the cream sauce) & Colby jack (for topping)
2 egg yolks OR ~4 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
2 tbsp flour
4 cups milk
½ stick butter
Spices for flavoring – can be sazon, “better than bouillon,” cajun seasoning, etc.
One box of elbow macaroni (16 oz. or 454 g)
Bread crumbs (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350º
Prepare baking dish: rub all interior sides of a ~9x13” (or similar) baking dish thoroughly with butter, and sprinkle a handful of cheese of your choice so that it sticks to the walls/bottom.
Bring 2 cups milk plus ½ cup of water to a low simmer. Cook macaroni noodles on medium-low heat until al-dente; I like to cook a few minutes less than the suggested cooking time on the pasta box. When you’re approaching the end of cooking time, make sure to taste a few pieces that are not too soft.
Strain the pasta into a colander or sieve on top of a heatproof bowl to save the cooking liquid! (It’s OK if the noodles absorb all the liquid!)
Put the pot back onto the stove on medium-low heat. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter and heat until it foams. Add 2 tbsp flour and whisk until all foaming subsides and the mixture looks like smooth, wet sand. Let this cook (and stir) until it’s caramel brownish, but don’t let it burn!
Slowly add whatever is left of the cooking liquid + the remaining milk, whisking as you add. The mixture should thicken. Turn the heat to very low.
Add Thickener
If using eggs:
In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks. Slowly add ½ cup of the hot liquid from the saucepan into the medium bowl, whisking as you add (this step tempers the eggs and slowly brings them up to temperature, so they don’t turn into scrambled eggs in the hot milk).
Slowly pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the liquid, whisking the milk as you add.
Cook this mixture over low heat until it thickens enough to coat a spoon well.
If using cream cheese:
Cut up the cream cheese into cubes. With the saucepan on low, whisk these cream cheese cubes in.
Cook on medium-low until the mixture thickens.
Once you have a nicely thickened sauce, add about ⅓ of your shredded cheese (I like sharp cheddar) and whatever spices you have; whisk until smooth and homogenous. Taste, and add salt, pepper, more cheese, etc. (this is where all the flavor inside the Mac & Cheese comes from, don’t make the mistake of letting this be boring!)
In a large bowl, mix this sauce with your cooked noodles, then scoop this in layers into the baking dish. On top of each layer of sauced noodles, add a sprinkling of shredded cheese, using another ⅓ of the cheese.
Cover the noodles with the rest of your shredded cheese – you want a thick layer of cheese here. Feel free to add more spices to the top.
Cover with foil and bake for about 25 minutes or until the cheese on top is bubbling.
Remove the foil. If using bread crumbs, sprinkle them on top now. Bake, uncovered, for another 10-15 minutes, until you have a nice golden crust and browned edges.