Ultimate Mac 'n' Cheese

Why "ultimate"? Because the sauce is creamy, not grainy; it's flavored with shallots, gruyère, and white wine, like fondue; and it's topped with crunchy sourdough bread crumbs. Prep and Cook Time: 50 minutes. Notes: You can substitute romano, goat gouda, or more gruyère for the aged gouda.

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 8  ounces  cavatappi, macaroni, or other tube-shaped pasta
• 1/2  teaspoon  coarse salt, plus more for cooking pasta
• 3 1/2  tablespoons  butter
• 1/2  cup  finely chopped shallots
• 2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4  cups  dry white wine
• 2/3  cup  heavy whipping cream
• 7  ounces  gruyère, grated
• 3  ounces  aged gouda, grated (see Notes)
• 2  tablespoons  plus 1 tsp. minced fresh chives
• 1  tablespoon  Dijon mustard
• 1/8  teaspoon  cayenne
• 1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground nutmeg
• 4  ounces  crusty sourdough bread (about 1/4 loaf), torn into large pieces

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Cook pasta according to package directions in a large pot of boiling, well-salted water until tender to the bite, 7 to 12 minutes. Drain, but do not rinse.

2. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, melt 2 tbsp. butter. Add shallots and cook until light golden, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle shallot-butter mixture with flour; cook, stirring often, 1 minute. Add wine and stir, picking up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add cream and stir well. Sprinkle in cheeses, one large handful at a time, stirring until each handful is mostly melted before adding the next. Stir in 2 tbsp. chives, mustard, 1/4 tsp. salt, cayenne, and nutmeg. Stir cooked pasta into cheese mixture, then pour all into a 2-qt. baking dish.

3. In a food processor, pulse bread with remaining 1 1/2 tbsp. butter, 1 tsp. chives, and 1/4 tsp. salt until coarse bread crumbs form. Sprinkle bread crumbs over pasta and cheese and bake until top is browned and cheese is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

586 (49% from fat)

Protein:

21g

Fat:

32g (sat 19)

Carbohydrate:

44g

Fiber:

1.6g

Sodium:

739mg

Cholesterol:

107mg