America's Test Kitchen Mac & Cheese with a little Olive Twist

America’s Test Kitchen Stove Top Mac and Cheese, with an Olive Twist …Twist

1 ½ cups water

1 cup milk

8 ounces elbow macaroni

4 ounces American cheese, shredded (1 cup)

½ tsp. Dijon mustard

Small pinch cayenne pepper

4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)

⅓ cup panko bread crumbs

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 tbsps. grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure

Add water and milk to a medium-sized sauced pan and boil over high heat. Stir in the macaroni then reduce the heat to medium-low. Let it cook for about 6-8 minutes or until the macaroni is soft and in that time, remember to stir frequently so that all the macaroni pieces are evenly cooked. Considering that the liquid used here is in small quantities, ensure that the elbow macaroni you use are of the same shapes and sizes.

After that, melt in the American cheese and in that you can also add the mustard and cayenne. Cheese can take some time to melt, a process you can speed up by stirring constantly for about 1 minute. It also helps in ensuring that the dish is not lumpy. Once done, turnoff the heat and stir in the cheddar cheese only enough for it to be evenly distributed, but then it should not melt. Cover this mixture and set is aside for about 5 minutes.

As it sits, you can get the topping ready. Combine panko bread crumbs, virgin oil, 1/8 tbsp. of salt and 1/8 tbsp. of pepper in a large skillet until the bread crumbs are evenly moistened.  Bring the mixture to cook over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes or until it’s evenly browned. You can also save time by having the bread crumbs pre-roasted in the oven and only adding the spices to an already browned set. Once brown, turn off the heat and add the parmesan cheese to the mixture and once combined, transfer this to a small bowl.

Stir in the macaroni sauce until it is smooth. At this point, it sometimes can be runny or too thick. Either way, you have the option of adding in milk to dilute it a bit, or adding extra cheese to get it to the desired paste. At the same time, the sauce usually tend to thicken as it cools, meaning that you can also be patient and see how it goes. With the perfect sauce at hand, season with extra salt and pepper to your perfection then transfer to a serving dish. Season this with the panko mixture and serve immediately.

The Olive Twist ….Twist

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