Baked Macaroni
Joy of Cooking Copyright 1931, 1936, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1975
Boil in salted water:
4 oz macaroni, 1 cup
Drain it.
Preheat oven to 350 degreed.
Place layers of macaroni in a buttered baking dish.
Sprinkle the layers with:
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Beat until blended:
1 or 2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
a few grains of cayenne
1 slice pimiento, optional I omitted this
¼ cup chopped green peppers or 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, optional I omitted this
1 tablespoon grated onion, optional I added this
Pour this mixture over the macaroni. Sprinkle top with dry bread crumbs, dots of butter and grated cheese.
Bake the macaroni about 40 minutes.
I made this a few weeks ago but never got around to posting it. It didn't wow me but I happen to personally know a few people (well, at least one) who like this type of baked macaroni and cheese so I thought it was worth sharing. I guess I'm just not a fan of custardy baked macaroni and cheese. I like my mac n cheese to be ooey and gooey. I really wanted Alton's Brown's stovetop version when I made this but I didn't have evaporated milk on hand. I should have made Horn and Hardart’s Baked Macaroni and Cheese again. I loved that recipe but I always think that no matter how good my mac n cheese turns out that there is always a better recipe out there.
Can I be honest? Joy of Cooking is just not one of my favorite cookbooks. No where even near the top of the list. Sure, it has a recipe for practically everything and it's been around forever but it just doesn't have that cookbook 'magic' I look for in a cookbook. It's comprehensive, I'll give you that, so if you need a recipe for kidneys or brains, you'll probably find one there but I don't think it necessarily has the 'best' recipes.
Question of the Day: Is there a dish that you keep trying a new recipe for, searching for the 'best' version or maybe a version you remember from your past?
There are several dishes I am always trying to find the 'perfect' version of - chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookies, macaroni salad and macaroni and cheese are just a few that I can think of off the top of my head.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the nice comment. Food Bloggers are the nicest people.
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ReplyDeleteI agree about Joy of Cooking. I know there are a lot of basic recipes in it but it just doesn't get it for me. Love mac & cheese.
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ReplyDeleteActually, I love this old recipe. I use a combo of cheeses and I use evaporated milk. Like my grandmother, who had this cookbook, I place slices of tomato on top before baking. Also, I add dried, minced onion to the custard mix and a few shots of a good hot sauce.
ReplyDeleteThis is the original JOC recipe. Since I away from home, I don't have access to this - so thanks for posting. (I don't like the revised recipe in the current edition so much.)
ReplyDelete