Peggy’s Macaroni and Cheese
Bechamel Sauce:
-5 tablespoons butter
-4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
-4 cups milk
-2 teaspoons salt
-1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
-1 large Spanish onion
Melt the butter in a pan on low heat. Dice the onions evenly and let them cook slowly in the butter until they begin to caramelize. Mix in the flour and cook the mixture on a low heat stirring constantly for 10 to 15 minutes. Add in the milk bit by bit, making sure that all lumps are mixed in before more liquid is added. Cook the béchamel on a low flame for another 10 minutes stirring constantly. Season the béchamel with the salt and nutmeg.
Duck Fat Bread Crumbs:
-2 tbsp duck fat
-1 cup of fresh bread crumbs
-1 sprig of thyme
Heat up the 2 tbsp of duck fat and sauté the bread crumbs in it with the picked thyme. Cook the crumbs until they become toasty brown.
Assembling the dish:
Lay the fully cooked pasta, even over cooked is good, in a thin layer in the bottom of a dish. Cover the pasta generously with the béchamel. Put cubes of comte, morbier and st andre cheeses, randomly spread out on the surface of the pasta and béchamel. Cook the macaroni and cheese in a 400 degree oven for approximately 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has browned a bit and started to bubble. Garnish the dish with a thin layer of the duck fat bread crumbs. Let the dish rest for a couple of minutes and serve it when it is still hot but not scalding.
