Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese - as seen on 68 Days of Gourmet
(Recipe source The Gourmet Cookbook)

Ingredients:

FOR TOPPING
1/4 stick (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
2 cups panko or coarse dry breadcrumbs
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

FOR CHEESE SAUCE AND MACARONI
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (about 1 pound)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound elbow macaroni

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 3-4 quart baking dish or 13 x 9 pan with butter or cooking spray.

FOR THE TOPPING
Mix together panko, butter and cheese in a medium bowl. Set aside.

FOR THE SAUCE
Melt butter in a heavy pot over low heat. Whisk in flour and red pepper flakes and cook, whisking constantly, for about 3 minutes to make a roux. Whisk in milk in a slow steady stream. Increase heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Simmer for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently until mixture is thickened a bit. Stir in cream, cheese, mustard, salt and pepper until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

COOK THE MACARONI AND ASSEMBLE THE DISH
Cook macaroni according to package directions, making sure to add plenty of the salt to the cooking water. (At least 1 tablespoon for every 4 quarts.) Undercook macaroni about 3-4 minutes so that it still has quite a bite to it. This ensures the pasta won’t get mushy when cooking. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and then drain noodles.

Stir together macaroni, reserved cooking water and sauce in a large bowl or in your sauce pot if it’s big enough. Transfer to prepared baking dish, mixture will be loose.

Sprinkle topping evenly over mixture and bake for about 25-35 minutes. Top should be golden and bubbling.

Yield: 8 main course servings or 12-14 side dish servings

Rocky Road Brownies

Rocky Road Brownies - as seen on 68 Days of Gourmet
(Recipe source Gourmet, December 1996)
Ingredients:
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped and divided
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup miniature marshmallows
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch square baking pan.
In a heavy 1 1/2-quart saucepan over low heat, melt butter, unsweetened chocolate and 2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate. Stir constantly until smooth. Remove pan from heat and cool mixture for about 10 minutes. Stir in sugar and then add eggs 1 at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition. The mixture should look glossy and smooth. Add in flour and salt and stir until just combined.
Reserve 1/2 cup of the batter in a separate bowl. Spread remaining batter evenly in pan and bake on middle rack of oven for 20 minutes.
While bottom layer is baking, stir walnuts, marshmallows and remaining 2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate into reserved batter. Remove pan from oven and spoon walnut-marshmallow mixture evenly over partially baked layer. Bake for an additional 7-10 minutes, or until marshmallows are golden. Cool completely in pan on a rack before cutting.
Layer brownies between sheets of wax paper in Tupperware and store at room temperature. They will stay fresh for several days.
Yield: 16 brownies