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Mac and cheese almost ready for the oven Photograph by A. Schloss |
Throwing dinner into a warm oven and walking away is such a seductively convenient form of cooking that it is tempting to interpret its ease as culinary virtue. And in many ways it is. If making cooking effortless is a way of making home cooked meals more plentiful I am all for it. The recipe I created for One-Pot Mac and Cheese on page 49 of Cooking Slow is a prime example.
It starts with dry macaroni, layered with cheese, and doused with milk that's been seasoned with thyme, mustard, salt and pepper. Sprinkle on some breadcrumbs and you're ready to throw it into a low slow oven for the afternoon and get on with your life. The results are great and the method couldn't be friendlier, but I started thinking with a tweak or two the results could be better.
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One-Pot Mac and Cheese Photograph by A. Schloss |
Well, I tried it, and for the minimal added effort it proved to be worthwhile, which gave me the permission I needed to introduce a few other added-effort improvements that further perfected the master recipe. First, I took 30 minutes to pre-hydrate the macaroni so that it absorbed less milk during baking and gave the casserole a creamier finish. Plus, I toasted the bread crumbs, so that I could add them after the stirring step to create a crunchy crust that required no further browning.
Slow Baked Mac and Cheese
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Shredded Cheddar Photograph by A.Schloss |
Makes 6 servings
2 cups/475 ml (9 oz/255
g) dried elbow macaroni
4 cups water
2 tbsp unsalted butter,
melted
1 cup/8o g panko
breadcrumbs
4 cups/960 ml milk
1 tbsp brown mustard
2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground
black pepper
12 oz/340 g sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Combine macaroni and
water in a large bowl. Stir to moisten and set aside for 30 minutes to hydrate
the pasta.
Preheat the oven to 200°F/95°C.
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Mixing the half-baked casserole |
Grease the inside of a 2-qt/2-l
casserole with a teaspoon or so of the melted butter. And dust the interior
with 1/3 cup of the breadcrumbs.
Mix the milk, mustard,
salt and pepper in a quart-size measuring cup. And pour a 1/2 cup or so into
the bottom of the prepared casserole.
Drain the macaroni and toss
with the shredded cheese. Scrape into the casserole and pour the remaining
liquid over top. Cover the casserole with a lid or a sheet of foil and bake
until the sides are set, about 2 hours.
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Toasted Crumbs |
While the casserole is
baking, mix the remaining breadcrumbs with thyme and the remaining melted
butter. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the breadcrumb mixture and
stir until toasted, about 4 minutes.
Remove the casserole from
the oven. Gently mix the contents to distribute the solid and liquid parts on
the casserole; top with toasted breadcrumbs and return to the oven, uncovered.
Bake for another 2 to 4 hours depending on your schedule.
Prep Time: 40 minutes, including 30 minutes to soak the macaroni
Cooking Time: 4 to 6
hours
This was wonderful! Made it just as written, and even my husband, who doesn't usually care for Mac and cheese, thought is was very good.
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