Macaroni & Cheese

**drsvelte** · 12-15-2007, 11:20 AM

Macaroni & Cheese is a classic comfort food grayt this time of year. Here's a recipe from Frank Davis Cooks Naturally N'Awlins. which yields a creamy, cheesy edition. If you like basic yat-style cooking, you'll like this book. The book is still in print and I believe I saw it at the Destin Barnes & Noble.

Frank's N'Awlins Baked Macaroni

Ingredients:

1 lb. #7 macaroni, broken in half, cooked al dente, and drained
3 whole eggs, well beaten
1/3 cup finely minced parsley
1 stick salted butter, softened
1 cup chopped onions
1/3 cup chopped celery
1 cup evaporated milk or light cream
2 cups medium-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
� cup Velveeta cheese, small-cubed
3/4 cup petit pois green peas
2 tsp. Frank Davis Sprinkling Spice
1 tsp. fresh-ground black pepper

Start off by placing your cooked and drained macaroni in a buttered casserole dish and thoroughly mixing in the 3 beaten eggs and the parsley.

Then, in a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat and saut� the onions and celery until they wilt. At this point, stir in the evaporated milk and cook it into the butter and seasonings until blended well. Now, a little at a time, start adding the cheeses to the sauce (first the cheddar, then the Swiss, and finally the Velveeta). By the way, use only half of the cheddar in the sauce-the other half goes over the top of the macaroni.

The one thing you want to be sure of is to stir constantly as you add the cheeses so that they don't stick to the saucepan and burn. Incidentally, keep the heat on medium as you blend the sauce.

Next, quickly whisk into the pan the green peas, season the cheese sauce with salt and white pepper to taste, and pour the final mixture evenly over the macaroni. Don't be afraid to mix everything well, though. Now sprinkle the second cup of grated cheese over the top of the macaroni, place the pan into a 350 degree preheated oven, and bake for 35-45 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted and starts to brown.

Before serving, I suggest you also put the entire dish under the broiler for a few minutes to toast the cheddar on top of the macaroni.

Personally, I sometimes skip the peas and replace them with some chopped tasso. I think any sausage would work well, too. Also, if you don't have Frank's spices, substitute Tony Cachere's, Russell's, Emerils, etc. Yum!