#HOW MUCH MAC AND CHEESE FOR 30 PEOPLE MAC#
That said, I do think there are a few key elements for the best mac and cheese. Wonderful - my men ate 1/2 of the tray last night & I am sure the rest will be gone today! Thanks Chef John for the basic recipe! Update: I still do what I wrote in my original "tweak" of this recipe, but if this is for an adult buffet, I have added jarred Jalapeno slices at the very last stage of putting it in the pan.There are lots of recipes for macaroni and cheese in the world and to be completely honest, I’d probably love most of them. Crunchy Onions (think green bean casserole), mixed well, sprinkled on top & baked in a 10 X 15 - greased. Butter with 1/2 cup Italian Bread Crumbs + 1/4 c. For the crust - I discovered I DID NOT have the Panko Break Crumbs I thought I had. Followed the sequence of directions, but changed the seasoning & amounts. Kosher Salt, 5 good handfuls of already grated Cheddar/Jack Mix (Costco), 1 good squirt of Dijon. Chili Powder (think chili), 1/4 + teaspoon of Red Chili Flakes, 5 cups of 2% milk, 1 tsp. I am writing this up because I use other people's suggestions all the time. I used a 16 oz large elbow macaroni package. You should not leave the stove during the sauce whisking portion. The sauce recipe works fantastic & I was quite proud of myself for pulling this off. I used the basic recipe but changed the seasonings due to my "NON-Gourmet" children who will never eat Thyme flavored anything. Thank you for reading! :) ** I included a photo and it's photo #2. I use half sharp (freshly grated myself), and half regular cheddar!!! **DO add the worsherchire sauce! This is soooooo good! I will never want to try another type of mac n' cheese recipe ever. I have also sprinkled on crushed red pepper flakes instead. ** The cayenne pepper is great in this, but I usually half it if kids are eating it in case they're fussy. **I'm not a big fan of too much thyme, so I used italian seasonings instead. I'm a bit scared putting nutmeg in this dish, even if it's just a pinch! LOL **Instead of the dijon mustard I use the mustard powder, and only use half the amount it states (only because I don't know how much of a mustard flavor it will pick up) **I up the panko bread crumbs to 1 cup, and the melted butter to 2 TBs. I adjust the seasonings as accordingly as well! **I never add the nutmeg. I used 3/4 cup butter, about 3/4 cup flour, 5 cups cheese total (I use half sharp cheddar grated myself and half regular cheddar) (reserving 1.5 cups of cheese for the top) and 5 cups of milk. I found this to be a PERFECT RATIO for the 16 oz. So I "almost" doubled the wet ingredients (for the sauce). of elbow macaroni, but also wanted it cheesy as well. Dumping all the cheese at once to simmering bechemel that is still on the burner will result in a grainy texture.ĮXCELLENT! EXCELLENT! I don't review much recipes, and this is one worth to review! Please read! :) I wanted to use the 16 oz. And BTW, if your dish turns out grainy, you probably didn't take the bechemel off the burner and SLOWLY (1/4 cup at a time) add cheese to it while mixing gently.
Perhaps you used cheap cheese which tends to be oily and doesn't have the best flavor and texture.
How anyone can say this macaroni and cheese is bland is beyond me. But I'll have to leave out the cayenne next time due to picky kid (although I love the kick of the cayenne). I covered the dish with foil and baked it at 375° for 30 minutes, then uncovered and baked for 15 minutes more. I added 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder to the roux. This will be my go-to mac and cheese recipe for now! UPDATE: This time I left out the thyme and worcestershire. To be honest, I can live without the topping so I'll leave it out next time. I didn't have panko crumbs so I made my own crumbs with leftover bread. The only changes I made was 1/8 cayenne (because of kid), made only 12 oz.