Something comforting for those cold winter nights

This month's issue of fine cooking magazine has been a tempting and tasty read. So far I've tried two of their recipes and I have a feeling this issue will be dogeared and covered in stained in NO time.

Tonight I tried making their Classic Baked Macaroni & Cheese. It's pretty straight forward and if you follow the instructions and TAKE YOUR TIME (which I'm guilty of NOT doing when making M&C) it turns out beautifully.

Here is my modified version (theirs feeds an army and I also used whatever cheeses I had on hand). Instead of breadcrumbs, I smashed up some garlic and rosemary croutons and I also added some nutmeg and chili powder (omitting the Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce)

Classic Baked Macaroni & Cheese

• 2 Tbs of butter
• 1 Tbs of olive oil
• 1 med onion finely diced
• 3 Tbs of flour
• 1 tsp of Dijon mustard
• 2 cups (5oo ml) of Homo milk (heated)
• 1 tsp of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups of shredded cheese (I used a combination of old cheddar, Monterrey jack and goat cheese)
• pinch of nutmeg and chili powder
• 4 cups of small pasta (shells or macaroni)
• 1 Tbs of olive oil to coat your baking dish
• 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
  

1. In a heavy bottom pot, melt butter and oil over medium heat. In another pot, begin boiling water for pasta
2. Add onions and cook until they are softened (4-5 minutes)
3. Add flour and cook for 1 minute
4. Add mustard and whisk in warmed homo milk
5. When mixed, add thyme, nutmeg, chili powder, bay leaf and a pinch of salt
6. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Begin cooking pasta for 10 minutes.
7. Add the cheese to the sauce and mix until blended (don't over blend or it will get oily!)
8. Drain pasta and mix with cheese sauce
9. Add pasta mix to baking dish and top with breadcrumbs
10. Bake at 400 C for 15 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.