baked macaroni and cheese  by mark bittman
preheat the oven to 400f bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it
cook the milk with the bay leaves in a small saucepan over medium-low heat
when small bubbles appear along the sides , about 5 minutes later , turn off the heat and let stand
cook the pasta to the point where it is almost done but you would still think it needed another minute or two to become tender
drain it , rinse it quickly to stop the cooking , and put it in a large bowl
in a small saucepan over medium-low heat , melt 3 tablespoons of the butter
when it is foamy , add the flour and cook , stirring , until the mixture browns , about 5 minutes
remove the bay leaves from the milk and add about 1 / 4 cup of the milk to the hot flour mixture , stirring with a wire whisk all the while
as soon as the mixture becomes smooth , add a little more milk and continue to do so until all the milk is used up and the mixture is thick and smooth
add the cheddar and stir
pour the sauce over the noodles , toss in the parmesan , and sprinkle with salt and pepper
use the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to grease a 9 x 13-inch or similar-size baking pan and turn the pasta mixture into it
top liberally with bread crumbs and bake until bubbling and the crumbs turn brown , about 15 minutes
serve piping hot
simpler macaroni and cheese
here the ingredients are just layered and cooked together: proceed with steps 13 as directed
butter the baking pan with an extra 1 or 2 tablespoons butter
layer one-third of the pasta , sprinkle with half of the flour , fleck with half of the butter , cover with about 1 / 2 cup of the cheddar , pour half of the heated milk over the top , and sprinkle with salt and pepper
repeat the layers , using the remaining flour , butter , and milk , and top with the remaining pasta , cheese , and bread crumbs
bake until bubbling and browned on top , about 30 minutes
rich macaroni and cheese
super-creamy and decadent
make this even more special with some sauted wild mushrooms: reduce the milk to 3 / 4 cup
omit the bay leaves , the first 3 tablespoons butter , and all of the flour
substitute mascarpone cheese for the grated cheese
add about a cup or so sauted wild mushrooms , if you like , and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
cook the pasta as directed
mix together the milk , mascarpone , and parmesan in a large bowl
add the cooked pasta and the sage , sprinkle with salt and pepper , and combine
proceed with step 5
nutty macaroni and blue cheese
substitute 1 cup blue cheese for the parmesan and reduce the cheddar by 1 / 2 cup
use a mild or medium cheddar
add 3 / 4 cup roughly chopped walnuts
fold the blue cheese and walnuts into the pasta mixture in step 5
macaroni and goat cheese with roasted red peppers
nice and tangy from the goat cheese , while rich and sweet from the roasted peppers: add 2 roasted red peppers , peeled and chopped , and 1 / 2 cup each chopped fresh basil leaves and toasted pine nuts
substitute 1 cup soft goat cheese for the parmesan , and reduce the grated cheese by 1 / 2 cup
omit the bay leaves
proceed with the recipe , stirring in the peppers , basil , and pine nuts with the pasta in step 5
macaroni and chile cheese
for a spicy dish , use a hotter chile or add a tablespoon chopped chipotle chile with adobo sauce: use grated jack or cheddar for all 2 cups of the cheese
add 2 medium poblano or other mild green fresh chiles , roasted , cleaned , and chopped , 1 / 4 cup or so chopped fresh cilantro leaves , and 1 medium tomato , sliced
proceed with the recipe , stirring in the chiles and cilantro with the pasta in step 5 , then top with the tomato slices and bread crumbs