Grown-up Macaroni and Cheese -- Barefoot Bloggers

This selection for Barefoot Bloggers was chosen by Heather of Randomosity and the Girl -- thanks Heather! I was really looking forward to some creamy grown-up macaroni and cheese, talk about comfort food. This recipe did not dissapoint! My wallet is a bit thinner and my pants a bit tighter, but it was worth it, all for the love of Ina recipes!

Usually I don't even look at the prices for things I need for a recipe, I know I need them, and want to try them out, but oh man, this was a $25.00 dish of macaroni and cheese, seriously! I guess I have a little gruyere left, but still, this was one expensive pasta dish. Maybe that's why it's called "Grown-up" you actually have to be grown-up and making a grown-up salary to be able to afford to make this, ha!

Do not be afraid of the green cheese, it's yummy, I promise, even my one year old agrees :)

I learned something new again thanks to wikipedia, regarding Roquefort cheese: "Though similar cheeses are produced elsewhere, European law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon may bear the name Roquefort, as it is a recognised geographical indication, or has a protected designation of origin. " Wow! Totally someplace I would enjoy visiting when we take the kiddos to France, someday.

All jokes aside I loved this just as I knew I would. I doubled the recipe since the smallest block of gruyere I could find was just over 1 lb. and also, I measured out the pasta and doubling it equaled one box of pasta. Perfect. I did use one cup less of milk but doubled everything else, while making my roux my first addition of milk was two cups, I was about to pour the 3rd in and then thought, nope, better not, used my best 'cooking' judgement with that one and was not dissapointed, I think the extra cup of milk for a doubled recipe would have made it too 'wet.' I like macaroni and cheese thick and creamy, I think I'd rather have it a touch dry than too runny, which would also soften up the noodles too much, ick. The noodles I used were Barilla Cellentani -- did you know that cellentani was just another name for the cavatappi? I did not know that until recently. This fun pasta shape can also be called 'double elbows' awww

Pinch of nutmeg, yum!

Where is my uber delicious basil breadcrumb topping?!? Well, since you asked, I left it off. Why? Because I was really hoping that this would be a meal my husband would like. You know, I tease him a lot about his 'premature' tastebuds, how he refuses to try most new foods and has a never ending list of foods he just 'doesn't like' -- anyway, on that ever growing list is 'bread crumb topping on macaroni and cheese' Oh yes folks, I am serious, I've made it before only to have him turn his nose up to the lightly crunchy goodness of crumb topping on macaroni and cheese. Oh-well.

When we sat down for dinner my husband had one small plate. He did eat it though, which is amazing in itself. He scoffed at my imported cheeses that cost a small fortune. He sniffed the air and said 'what's that smell?' while I was preparing the cheese sauce. But he did eat one small plate of Ina's amazing grown-up macaroni and cheese. He said, 'it was okay, it wasn't bad, but I like your other macaroni and cheese better' which honestly, is pretty much the same thing minus the gruyere and roquefort...a roux based cheese sauce made with cheddar, mixed with cooked noodles and then baked for that yummy crusty cheese top -- which he likes, yes, he likes the crusty crunchy cheese that bakes on top of macaroni and cheese but not the breadcrumb topping.

Do you want to know the best part of this dinner that really left me beaming? My three and one year old absolutely LOVED it. My two year old is going through a super picky 'don't want to eat' phase so he didn't even try it, I bet he would have liked it if he had though. I'm so pround of my little foodies in training, I have to work hard to expand their culinary palate, I don't want them to end up like their daddy who is the pickiest person alive. :)