Grown Up Mac & Cheese

After years and years of mac & cheese, I just needed a change.. I tried many times a year to make an awesome dish, but they all seemed to taste the same. Now, don't get me wrong, I make a mean mac & cheese. The recipe I use is my great-grandmother's - grandmother's - mother's recipe. However, since I'm an "adult", I thought it was time to try a new way.
This year, thanks to Ian Garten and her wonderful show The Barefoot Contessa, I was finally able to make a new dish, with cheeses I would never think of using. It was easier than I thought it would be, and I loved the Gruyere in the sauce - awesome.. Now, the recipe calls for bleu cheese, which I am NOT a fan of, but I put it in there.. It had a nice earthy taste, which my friend loved, but I could've done  without it. It looked DELICIOUS. tasted lovely. I will definitely make it again (without the bleu cheese).


Here's the link to the video on FoodNetwork.com:
Ina Garten makes Grown Up Mac & Cheese

Grown Up Mac & Cheese

Ingredients
4 ounces thick-sliced bacon
Vegetable oil
Kosher salt
2 cups elbow macaroni or cavatappi
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
3 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
2 ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch nutmeg (literally, just a pinch)
2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves


Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon in 1 layer on the baking rack. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Remove the pan carefully from the oven - there will be hot grease in the pan! Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and crumble when it is cool enough to handle. (I completely forgot this step, as I didn't have any bacon, but since bacon makes EVERYTHING better, the next time, I won't forget)


Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt the butter in a medium pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or 2 more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, blue cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and crumbled bacon and stir well. Pour into 2 (I used (1) one ramekin) individual size gratin dishes.


Place the bread slices in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until you have coarse crumbs. Add the basil and pulse to combine.(I used regular bread crumbs and seasoned with dried basil; I forgot to buy basil at the store. oops. my bad) Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top of the pasta. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.


I encourage trying this recipe, just because it's not the typical way of making this dish. In fact, try whatever cheese you want. Call it the Elderly Mac & Cheese, whatever you want. Just step out the box!