Crazy Mac n Cheese! 11.2.09

Scott had seen Ina Garten make her lobster mac n cheese on tv the other day...he had it on his mind when I asked him to shop for a friend today...we decided to do a bacon, mushroom, chix version.  This is the best mac n cheese I've ever eaten.  He stopped by Central Market to look for the cavatappi pasta...De Cecco makes a great pasta in my opinon, Ina's too...but this cut is hard to find...but of course CM had it.  Then he stopped by Market Street for the cheese...Gruyere & a 2 yr old white cheddar and some baby bella mushrooms.  It was a little more labor intensive than he originally expected, but so worth it.  I got to spectate much of it since little Lo was with us...eating a teething biscuit in his Bumbo chair on the counter.  We had so much fun together today. 

Crazy Mac and Cheese (this is a 1/2 recipe...and it was enough to generously feed four)1
10 oz mushrooms halved (baby bellas tonite), pre sauteed, nice and crusty brown in a little oil.

1 cup shredded cooked chix
4 slices cooked bacon, in chunks
1 & 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
Vegetable oil
1/2 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
(2 cups)  milk (we used 2%)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick)butter, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 ounces Gruyere, grated (2 cups)
4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (1 cups)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cups bread crumbs

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar,  1 &1/2 tsp salt,  pepper, and nutmeg, chix, bacon & mushrooms. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

The mac n cheese was better than even imagined...with a little bread crumb topping...crunchy and creamy all at once.

Ahhhhh