Mac & Cheese: It's Hot!
April 6, 2006

Mac & cheese is a lot like blue jeans: dress it up, or dumb it down, and it's always right, always hot. Is there a more comfortably indulgent dish on the planet?

Ask my friend Erica. She innocently ordered SmokeJack's Mac & Cheese studded with Apple Bacon for lunch. There was a group mugging when it arrived. Pathetic salad-and-fish refugees, we mooned like the family dog until we were graciously invited to attack her plate at will. Next time I'm ordering the mac & cheese outright.

In the meantime, I'm putting it on the menu for our family's annual Spring Brunch. I'm thinking that if there is enough of something great to go around people will be happy right off the bat, and maybe even mind their manners. I'll spruce up my standard with signs of spring: asparagus, Vidalia onion, spicy ham, and early spinach. A bubbling breadcrumb topping will transform into it something gorgeous. Brunch is at 10; and yes, wear your blue jeans.

Spring Mac & Cheese

This recipe does not double well, so make two batches if necessary. 1 pound of bow tie pasta in a 9X12” baking dish is a good fit.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil one pound of bow tie pasta for 8 minutes, drain, and place in baking dish.

Béchamel Sauce: Over medium heat in a large sauté pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in one-fourth cup of flour. Thick clumps will appear so keep it moving in the pan by slowly whisking in one half cup of 2% milk. A smooth sauce will form.

Whisk in 1 cup of 2% milk, 1 cup of cream, and 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard; heat until barely bubbling. Stir in 4 chopped garlic cloves, 2 cups chopped Vidalia onion, 2 large pinches kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes.

Whisk in 6 ounces of shredded cheddar and shredded fontina cheese EACH; warm through. Add 2 cups chopped asparagus, 1 cup cubed ham, and 1 cup shredded fresh spinach. Pour mixture over the pasta, cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes.

Place 4 garlic cloves in a food processor, chop. Add 3 thick slices of bread from a loaf of multigrain, pulse on/off for 15 seconds. Add 2 tablespoons of cold butter. Pulse on/off for 30 seconds. When mac & cheese has baked for 20 minutes, remove foil and place breadcrumbs all over surface of pasta. Bake 10 - 12 minutes until dish is bubbling and browned.

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston, VT with her husband, Jeff, and three college–aged daughters who come and go. ©2008