Beecher’s “World’s Best” Mac ‘n’ Cheese
From Kurt Beecher Dammeier / Cheese Culture Magazine
Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more for preparing dish
6 ounces penne pasta
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups milk
8 ounces about 2 cups grated More Cowbell Cheese, divided
2 ounces about ½ cup grated 1795 Farmstead Cheddar cheese, divided
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon chili powder divided
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
Heat oven to 350°F. Butter or oil an 8-inch baking dish.
Cook the penne 2 minutes less than package directions (it will finish cooking in the oven). Rinse pasta in cold water, and set aside.
Melt the butter in a heavy- bottomed saucepan over medium heat, and whisk in the flour. Continue whisking and cooking for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Cook until sauce thickens, about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
Add 1¾ cups Cowbell cheese, ¼ cup Just 1875 cheese, salt, 1/8 teaspoon chili powder, and garlic powder. Stir until the cheese is melted and all ingredients are incorporated, about 3 minutes.
Combine cooked pasta and sauce in a medium bowl, and mix carefully but thoroughly. Scrape pasta into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the top with remaining cheeses and then the remaining chili powder.
Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Let mac ‘n’ cheese sit for 5 minutes before serving.