This recipe was inspired by an experiment Ethan Chlebowski performed on YouTube awhile back, which sparked a newfound inspiration for meddling with improving my own recipe. For years I’ve added a bit of mustard powder to my mac, which if you add too much gives it a weird flavor, but if you add just a bit adds an increased depth to the cheddar. The cream cheese I learned from a restaurant I grew up eating at, which was Four Little Pigs, in Benton, Kentucky. Years and years ago, my Granny got a veggie plate(four veggies, where hashbrown casserole and mac & cheese are considered vegetables). We’d always loved their mac and cheese, but this time we noticed a big speck of white in with the noodles. I tasted it and told Granny, “that’s cream cheese, that must be their secret to mac and cheese!” And from then on, I added that to my own recipe.

Now obviously, this recipe is a template for the most part. You can experiment with it any way you wish. I’m not claiming to be some genius of mac and cheese, but I have read dozens upon dozens of recipes, from many different decades and centuries. This is a classic take on 21^st century Macaroni & Cheese, mostly for people who haven’t done this sort of research or don’t really have a go-to recipe for the dish. This can be augmented easily be replacing some or all of the cheddar with other cheeses, keeping in mind that drier cheese will need either a soft flavorful cheese to increase the moisture, or will need a bit more liquid to keep the consistency the same. But the consistency doesn’t have to be this either! This recipe it intended to be altered and changed to the personal taste of the person eating it, and therefore will never be complete. If I need to, I may make alterations to this recipe. Now, without telling you about the origins of my recipe in a small Tuscan village, let us get to cooking.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons All-Purpose flour

16 ounce Cavatappi pasta

8 ounce extra-sharp cheddar cheese(preferably Cabot or an English crumbly cheddar)

8 ounce American cheese(can be Land O Lakes Extra Melt, Velveeta, deli-sliced)

4-8 ounce cream cheese(preference)

4 ounce sour cream

4 ounce fresh cream or whole milk

4 ounce evaporated milk

½ to 1 tablespoon dried mustard powder

1 teaspoon Accent(monosodium glutamate)

salt & pepper to taste

For the mise en place, shred all the cheese, and set it next to your solid dairy in a platter, with the liquids next to it. Have the spices and flour nearby as well. Two pots will be needed, as well as a spoon, a strainer, and a whisk.

Heat a pot to medium, melt butter in pot. Add flour to make a roux, and cook til it doesn’t smell raw, but smells almost like pie crust or cooked dough. About 2-5 minutes, depending on your stovetop. Cooking it more won’t burn it, but lessen the thickening power but increase the flavor of the roux.

In a separate pot, add enough water so that you know it will cover the pasta, and boil the water with a generous helping of salt. Once it is boiling, add the pasta, ensuring the pasta doesn’t stick after a few minutes. Drain pasta 2 minutes before the recommended cooking time and set aside.

Once the roux is done, grab a whisk and the liquids. Add the cold cream slowly to the roux, while whisking. The coldness should reduce lumps. Add the evaporated milk, and wait for the liquid to come to a boil before reducing to a simmer. After this step, add the cream cheese and sour cream, and whisk until it is smooth.

After the soft dairy has been incorporated into the sauce, begin adding the cheese slowly, whisking until each helping has melted into the sauce. Once all the cheese has been incorporated, add the mustard, and taste for salt and pepper. Add according to taste.

Once it is finished, one might want to add a bit more cheese, or spice. Obviously add to your own preference, as each person has their own idea of what a mac & cheese should be. This can be poured into a casserole dish, sprinkled with a hard cheese and bread crumbs(or crushed cheese crackers), and baked to create a more prepared dish, or it can be eaten out of the pot itself while you watch anime. I’ve done both many a time. Personally, I like sprinkling millionaire bacon on top, or crispy fried pepperoni.