Artisanal Macaroni And Cheese

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 5 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs or 3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups grated gruyere cheese
• 1 1/2 cups grated imported swiss cheese (comte is best)
• 1 1/2 cups grated fontina cheese (italian fontina, not danish)
• 3/4 lb penne pasta

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 350°. meanwhile, bring 2 qts water to a boil in a 3 qt pot.
• 2 in a small pan, melt 2 1/2 tbsp butter. add the panko and half the parmigiano. toss well to coat and set aside.
• 3 melt the remaining butter in a medium saucepan. add the flour and whisk constantly for 5 minutes; do not allow it to brown. still whisking, add the milk and nutmeg. cook another 5 minutes. add the remaining parmigiano, all of the gruyere, 1 cup of comte and 1 cup of fontina. continue whisking until the cheese is fully melted and incorporated. pour the cheese sauce into a large bowl.
• 4 add 1 tbsp salt to the boiling water, along with the pasta. cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. drain well in a colander, then add the pasta to the cheese sauce. season with salt and pepper to taste.
• 5 pour cheesy pasta into a 10x12" baking dish. top with remaining comte and fontina, then sprinkle buttered bread crumbs over the top. bake 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.