Mac and Cheese

Ingredients · per serving

• 2 tbsp Breadcrumbs
• 25 g Plain flour
• to taste Black pepper
• 100 g Macaroni
• ½ tsp Mustard powder
• 25 g Butter
• to taste Salt
• 80 g Cheddar cheese
• 250 ml Whole milk

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni. Cook 1 min less than the packet says — it'll finish cooking in the cheese sauce.
2. While the pasta cooks, make the cheese sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, cook 1 min — this is a "roux", the base of most cream sauces.
3. SLOWLY pour in the warm milk while whisking constantly. Patience here — slow pouring + constant whisking = smooth sauce. Lumpy = poured too fast.
4. Simmer 3-4 min, whisking often, until the sauce thickens to the consistency of single cream.
5. Off the heat, stir in 80% of the grated cheese (save 20% for the top). Add the mustard powder (if using) and a generous grind of black pepper.
6. Drain the macaroni. Tip into the cheese sauce, stir to coat every tube.
7. Heat oven to 200°C / 400°F.
8. Tip the mac and cheese into a small baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, plus the breadcrumbs.
9. Bake 15-20 min until the top is golden and crispy and the sauce bubbles at the edges. Rest 3 min before serving.

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