Cheese 'N Mac...'N Bacon

Macaroni and cheese may be America’s ultimate comfort food. For me, it brings back memories of my mom’s recipe (shells with Velveeta) that I ate as a kid, the semester I spent in college studying in Russia and eating Kraft Dinner to remind me of home, a New Year’s Eve party where I attempted to make fried macaroni and cheese, and a wonderful evening I shared with my mom, husband, and a good friend in a fine restaurant in Santa Barbara where I ate the best baked macaroni and cheese that I’ve ever had.

I love a good macaroni and cheese, but hate a bad macaroni and cheese. I can't stand when the cheese separates or it leaves a puddle of grease at the bottom of my plate. A good macaroni and cheese must be baked with a crispy top, but creamy on the inside.

You may be thinking I titled my blog entry incorrectly. The cheese should be the star and that is why I call it "Cheese 'N Mac." The cheese comes first! Unless there is bacon... Then it get complicated. Here is my recipe with note on what you can change to adjust it to your own tastes.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 lb raw bacon, chopped in penny size pieces. If you don't want to use bacon, you will need a couple tablespoons of butter instead.
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups milk (cool milk. If you use hot milk which some recipe say to do, you will get a lumpy sauce.)
• 3 cups shredded cheese- use whatever you like or experiment with different combinations. If I'm using bacon, I love white cheddar and brie. I also like using half white cheddar and pepper jack. Or whatever I have in the fridge and need to use up.
• Want to add sun dried tomatoes? Fresh herbs? Awesome! I love adding some chili powder for zing and extra smokiness.
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 lb cooked macaroni
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cook bacon in medium sized pot until crispy. Leaving 2 tablespoons of grease in the pot, remove the excess bacon grease. If you aren't using bacon, just skip this step and cook the shallot and garlic in butter instead (in next step).
3. Add shallot and garlic, and cook until fragrant.
4. Add in flour and stir for about 3 minutes, until flour is cooked.
5. Pour in milk and bring sauce up to a simmer. Sauce will start to thicken.
6. Stir in cheese and other ingredients if you have them. Remove from heat once the cheese is melted.
7. Season to taste and stir in macaroni.
8. Pour into casserole dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Cook for 20 minutes. If the bread crumbs don't brown, place under the broiler.