Mac and Cheese

Yet another favorite of ours, this appears on our table in various guises every few weeks. The evaporated milk may seem like an odd choice but it serves a purpose, helping to stabilize the sauce. Evaporated milk is manufactured by exposing fresh milk to high heat in order to evaporate up to 60 percent of its water content. The resulting milk is concentrated in both flavor and nutrients. It usually has added stabilizers in the form of disodium phosphate and carrageenan. Although it is marketed as a substitute for fresh milk, it has a noticeably caramelized flavor that works nicely in sauces and soups. It produces an incredibly creamy sauce without the use of heavy cream or eggs. We’d like to say that we pair this mac and cheese with a salad or a vegetable, but truthfully, we tend to just savor the pasta with a glass of rich red wine or deep red berry juice depending on our age at the table.

Mathias Laurent, the cook in his family, makes this simple dish for his children in his sleek kitchen. With leftovers, he adds lots of Comté cheese. You can use any grated cheese you like.

This basic macaroni and cheese is on the rich side (it just doesn’t work with reduced-fat cheese), but it is so comforting. Even if you don’t have kids, you can make this when you’re in the mood for “nursery food.”

Kids love “mac and cheese.” When I make it from scratch, I know what’s in it—all healthy ingredients! Here’s how to do it, saving time and energy in the convection oven.

Like most little kids, Dahlia loves macaroni and cheese, and I've made it for her in many guises, running the gamut of techniques. My aim is always the same—to make the dish quickly with a minimum of fuss, and to use a maximum of vegetables that she will tolerate and not pick out. This is one of both our favorites. It's comforting, crusty topped, soft centered, and very cheesy—but not at all sophisticated. Just simple, kid-friendly, homemade food with the added grown-up appeal of lots of healthful carrots tossed into the mix. I got the idea from a chef's recipe in a glossy food magazine. The chef called for cooking carrots in butter and orange juice, pureeing them, and using the puree as a sauce for mac and cheese. I tried the recipe as written and was disappointed. It was a lot of work, and I didn't like the sweetness of the citrus fruit interfering with my cheesy goodness. So I decided to come up with my own simplified and ultra-Cheddary version. It was a huge hit with the under-three crowd and their parents, too. It's a straightforward recipe that comes together without much fuss, other than having to grate some carrots. But to make up for that, I've eliminated the need to make a cheese sauce on the top of the stove. Instead, I toss the hot pasta with grated cheddar, butter, sour cream for creaminess, and eggs to hold it all together. The grated carrots get boiled along with the pasta, so cooking them isn't an extra step. And the tiny orange shreds look so much like the cheddar that your kids might not even notice they are there. Dahlia certainly hasn't, and while I've never lied to her about their inclusion, I might have left out the word carrot in the dish description—accidentally, of course.

When Jack’s cousin Baby Lizzie first started picking up food and feeding herself, we started making macaroni and cheese in mini muffin pans for her. Big cousin Jack likes to take a large bite, so for him regular muffin pans fit the bill. You can make these in either one. The crispy Ritz cracker crumbs on the outside form a little crust for these pies, making them perfect to eat with your hands. We’re not saying they will be much neater than regular mac and cheese, but these sure are fun and delicious.

The saucy mixture of Parmesan, cheddar, bell pepper, and sweet-tangy Peppadew peppers coats the pasta perfectly—and the panko topping adds just enough crunch.

For ideas on what to serve with the macaroni and cheese, see "On the Side."

Savor these morsels with benefits: Each has nearly 20 percent of your calcium RDA.

Try as we might, we couldn't find a substitute for mac and cheese—and we certainly weren't going to leave it off the list. This is the dish that will still be appearing on American tables hundreds of years from now. But mac and cheese in 2009 certainly doesn't look—or taste—the same as it did back in the day. The casserole keeps reflecting our changing tastes. We've seen versions made with every kind of pasta, lighter variations packed with veggies, and super-luxe options redolent of truffle oil. To make mac and cheese truly your own, get creative with the cheese. Here, we use a combination of two of the Netherlands' best-known cheeses: Gouda and Edam.

Instead of breadcrumbs, this mac and cheese is topped with rich, pungent caramelized shallots and creamy, crumbled goat cheese.

The toasted crumbs on top have a cheesy crispness, and the pasta beneath is creamy and rich. Kids will appreciate the individual servings, but the recipe makes plenty, so why not pour the extra into a baking dish to feed the ravenous parents?

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from I Like Food, Food Tastes Good: In the Kitchen with Your Favorite Bands by Kara Zuaro. To read more about the book, see the related story. Patrick Phelan
from Patrick himself Singer-songwriter Patrick Phelan crafts dreamy, lingering music, studies human rights, and has spent time in Italy to focus on his cooking, as he has been a chef for more than eleven years. This decadent dish is something you should save for a special occasion because (a) you're going to have to drop a lot of cash to make it happen, (b) you're going to need to kill a pair of lobsters in the process, and (c) it'll make your special day that much more special. This is a challenging recipe, but if you follow the directions carefully, you'll end up with a dish that's as fancy as it is comforting — and big enough to feed a crowd. If you're cooking for two, just make half — you'll still savor the leftovers for lunch the next day. "This recipe comes courtesy of the great influences of David Shannon, one of my many teachers over the years." —Patrick Phelan

Mac and cheese goes southwestern with corn chips and salsa verde.

A comfort classic meets a bar-food favorite. WHAT TO DRINK: Pabst Blue Ribbon, an old-school brew that's enjoying a cult revival, is a light and refreshing foil for this rich dish.