Maytagbear:
It's just a standard Mac 'n' Cheese, you know, a white sauce with cheese melted in, but this batch was made with the cheese leftover from a New Year's Eve party tray.
You cook a pound of pasta (elbow mac and cavatappi are best for Mac 'n' Cheese) al dente and set it aside.
Melt 3 tbsp of butter over medium heat in a saucepan or, better yet, a stovetop safe casserole and stir in 3 tbsp of flour. Cook and stir the mixture (called roux) over medium heat for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually add 3 cups of milk (we use 2 12-ounce cans of evaporated milk). Add the milk a little at a time. Don't worry if the roux clumps up. Just stir the milk in after each addition. By the time you get to the last cup, the mixture will have liquefied. You can add your favorite seasonings at this point. We like 2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce, a teaspoon of garlic power and a teaspoon of spicy brown prepared mustard.
Heat to a boil over medium heat while stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute, then drop the heat to the lowest setting. Add 12 ounces of your favorite shredded cheese (extra sharp cheddar is our standard) a handful at a time and stir until fully melted before adding the next handful. After the last handful has melted in, turn off the heat and stir in your cooked macaroni. You can also add some sort of prepared meat like diced ham or smoked sausage to make it a one-dish meal.
If you bake this in a glass or Pyroceram casserole, you don't need to grease the casserole. There's enough fat in the cheese sauce. Smooth the top and scatter 4 ounces of shredded cheese on top followed by 2 to 4 ounces of breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs.
Bake 30 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven, let stand 10 minutes before digging in.
PeterH770:
Make sure it's round or square-shaped CorningWare Pyroceram with a flat bottom, not stoneware. The use and care instructions that came with our oblong French White Pyroceram casseroles stated that the material is stovetop safe but the oblong shape and uneven bottom made it unsuitable for stovetop cooking. The instructions that came with our Just White Pyroceram casseroles were almost cavalier about the whole safety issue, assuring the reader that it's safe to take the dish from the freezer to a roaring hot stove burner and vice-versa.
