The first time I made this recipe was back in 2010 when we hosted Thanksgiving here at the house for Josh's family. I did not have my fancy food processor at the time, and spent an hour just grating cheese (OK it felt like an hour). It seemed like a lot of work at the time, until I tried the best mac & cheese I'd ever tasted. The cavatappi pasta, gruyere cheese, and nutmeg push it over the top. That's when the dish was nicknamed "Holy Macaroni" - it will make you a believer!
My friend Aaron requested that we bring mac & cheese to his college football party today, and if Michigan wins, then clearly it was due to this divine dish. If not, then he can drown his sorrows in comfort food at it's best...
Holy Macaroni & Cheese
from Ina Garten
kosher salt
vegetable oil
1 pound cavatappi or elbow macaroni
1 quart milk
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
12 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (4 cups)
8 ounces extra sharp cheddar, grated (2 cups)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
4 small fresh tomatoes
1 1/2 cups white bread crumbs or Panko
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain well.
- Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4 quart) 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 two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked pasta and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.
- Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Met the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the bread crumbs or Panko and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.
I must say, I have loved the fancy kitchen shop wedding gift cards. Just yesterday, I drove over to Provisions/RSVP and bought myself a roasting pan (thank you, Dr. Baker!), and could not wait to try it out. I thought, what better to make than my very first roast chicken? The famous Thomas Keller, in Ad Hoc, says that every cook should know how to roast a chicken. It was about time.
Ina Garten has never led me astray, so I decided to go for her "perfect roast chicken". I was a little intimidated buying an entire chicken at the store, but after watching her cooking show the preparation was easy. I just had to stuff the chicken with garlic and lemons, rub it down with butter, and chop a few vegetables to go in the pan. The house smelled amazing, and Josh absolutely loved the chicken (and the mashed potatoes I served on the side). I had to take before and after shots!
Before
After
Perfect Roast Chicken
from Ina at the Food Network
1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
Olive oil
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.
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