Macaroni And Cheese

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs, from french or 1 cup italian bread
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• salt
• 1/2 lb elbow macaroni (my preference is barilla)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk, heated to warm
• 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce
• ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 3 cups mild cheddar cheese or 3 cups monterey jack cheese

Recipe

• 1 heat oven to 350 degrees and set a 1 1/2 quart heatproof dish, such as a souffle pan in the oven to warm. mix bread crumbs and butter together in a small backing pan set aside. bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and macaroni; cook until almost tender, but still a little firm to the bite. drain and transfer to preheated dish and stir in butter to melt. meanwhile, mix eggs, 1 cup evaporated milk, pepper sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and mustard mixture in a small bowl. pour egg mixture over noodles along with three-fourths of cheese; stir until thoroughly combined and cheese starts to melt.
• 2 place bread crumbs in oven to toast until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. remove from oven and set aside. place pan of macaroni and cheese in oven too and bake for 5 minutes. remove pan from oven; thoroughly stir macaroni mixture adding a little remaining milk and cheese. return to oven and cook 5 minutes longer. remove macaroni pan from oven and stir thoroughly so that macaroni and cheese cooks evenly adding additional cheese and milk if mixture does not look moist and creamy. return to the oven for a total of 20 minutes, removing pan from oven once more to stir in remaining milk and cheese. serve immediately, sprinkled with bread crumbs.