Creamy Mac and Cheese With Buttered Crumbs

Instructions

1. 01

   Prepare the mac and cheese: Set a box grater on a large sheet of parchment or wax paper. Grate the Cheddar and Gruyère on the large holes. Toss the cheese to mix evenly. Reserve ½ cup cheese for the crumbs.

2. 02

   Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

3. 03

   Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium and add the mustard powder. Whisk until all the clumps are gone and the butter is fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the flour and whisk well until the mixture is smooth, golden brown and the smell of raw flour has dissipated, about 2 minutes.

4. 04

   Pour in ¼ cup milk and whisk until very smooth. Repeat until the sauce is runny yet thick (like pancake batter), making sure it’s really smooth before each addition. Once the sauce has thinned, the remaining milk can be added in a steady stream while whisking.

5. 05

   After all the milk has been added to the sauce, cook the pasta: Generously season the pot of boiling water with salt and add the pasta. When the pasta is tender (not al dente, but fully cooked), scoop out and reserve ½ cup pasta water. Drain the pasta, rinse briefly under hot water and set aside.

6. 06

   While the pasta is boiling, keep whisking the sauce to keep it from scorching on the bottom. Once the sauce starts to simmer, turn off the heat.

7. 07

   Add the cheese to the sauce and whisk gently until smooth. Add the drained pasta and stir until well coated. If you’d like, season with freshly grated nutmeg and black pepper. Taste and season with salt until it tastes amazing. If you’d like the mix thinner, stir in some reserved pasta water. If you’d like it hotter, reheat it over low, stirring gently, until hot.

8. 08

   Prepare the crumbs: Butter a shallow 3-quart casserole (such as a 9-by-13-inch dish). Heat a broiler to its lowest setting with the rack at least 6 inches from the heat source. Scrape the mac and cheese into the buttered casserole and spread evenly.

9. 09

   Combine the panko, butter, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well to evenly coat. Toss in the reserved cheese. Sprinkle the crumb mixture to cover the entire surface of the mac and cheese and broil until golden brown on top, 1 to 5 minutes, depending on the strength of your broiler. Keep an eye on it to make sure the crumbs don’t burn.