Learning to make perfect cheese sauce is an art but once you get it, it is like mastering the Rubiks Cube! I will dispel all the algorithms you need to know to make the perfect cheese sauce for homemade Mac and Cheese and may you never have to resort to boxed mac and cheese again.
Pay close attention because a great macaroni and cheese is not as easy as one would think until you learn all the tricks. Hopefully I can impart all the tricks so you can enjoy the same great results.
Ingredients:
- 3 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
- 3 Tbsp. Flour
- 1.5 cups not fat milk warmed
- 1.5 cups half and half milk warmed
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 8 oz grated natural cheese (Cheddar, Colby Jack, Pepper Jack or a combination)
- 8 oz. elbow macaroni cooked al dente according to package directions
- (optional) Crumbled bacon for garnish
- Salt to taste
- Paprika for garnish
Instructions:
Bacon(optional): cook bacon to crispy. Crumble and set aside.
Macaroni: Cook macaroni al dente according to package instructions.
While macaroni is cooking prepare the sauce.
Sauce: Perfect sauces originate from a perfect Béchamel Sauce first. First you have to make a Roux, turn that into Béchamel Cream Sauce and then add cheese to make your perfectly Cheese Sauce to which you add your macaroni.
Roux is a combination of unsalted butter, cooked with flour until the flour itself is “cooked out” at which time you get a nutty aroma. This is the key to making a delicious cheese sauce.
Here we go: Making the Roux– Heat Butter on Med-Hi until butter is sizzling at edges and reduce to Med. Add white flour stirring vigorously with a whisk on a medium heat. Allow some bubbling but not burning. If it turns dark brown or burns, toss it out and start over! No one wants to eat brown macaroni and cheese! Cook stirring constantly until a nutty aroma appears. This should take about 5 minutes. Getting to the nutty aroma stage is a must. This means your flour is cooking. If you stop short of this, you will taste the uncooked flour in your sauce.
Heat in 1 cup increments milk in the microwave for 1 minute and Slowly add warm milk to roux while stirring continuously over low-med heat. Continue this process until the 3 cups of milk (half and half and nonfat milk) is added. The Roux will expand as you add the milk to create a smooth silky sauce..
Note: Heating up the milk is equally as important as making the Roux. I am not sure why this works so well but trust me IT IS IMPORTANT.
Once all the milk is added stir over med-low heat until it starts to thicken. As soon as you notice thickening, cut the heat off. This is called Béchamel Sauce.
Add salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.
Key Note: Once you add cheese, you must keep the heat low so the cheese does not curdle.
Add 6 oz. of the shredded cheese. Save the remainder for the top of the macaroni. Stir mixture until cheese is all melted.
Altering the type of cheese you use in this recipe is how you make different sauces. Use Parmesan cheese for Alfredo Sauce, Cheddar for the perfect cheese sauce, or substitute 1cup of milk with 1 cup of beer and use a combination of Cheddar, Mozzarella and Gruyere cheeses to make beer cheese dip.
Adding macaroni: By now your macaroni is cooked (this should have taken 5 minutes to heat the water and 8-10 minutes to cook the macaroni al dente depending on what brand of noodle you use).
As soon as the macaroni is cooked and the cheese sauce is ready, scoop up the hot macaroni with a large spoon scooping up a little bit of the hot starchy pasta water and put it into the cheese sauce. This will thin the cheese sauce if it has gotten too thick. If you like your sauce not so thick add more hot pasta water.
Fold cooked macaroni in cheese sauce. If the cheese is not totally melted turn heat back on to low and let it warm up moving hot macaroni on edges to the center. Top with remainder 2 oz. of cheese. Salt to taste. Serve immediately with or without crumbled bacon on top. Use Paprika to garnish for added color.
Awesome!!!!!