REAL mac & cheese

True friends are hard to come by. I'm not talking about those "friends" that just call you when they need something or a favor. No, I'm referring to the friends who are always there for you, support you and appreciate you for being who you are.

Friendship is something I take for granted a lot of times but when I really think about it, I truly do appreciate those special to me. The hand of friendship can only extends so far and there are some that will never extend their arms far enough to reach yours, regardless of how many times you aid them. I've met many personalities and characters in my 3 years of college and I'm so glad to have found a number of people that I hope to keep in touch with for the rest of my life. Ryne celebrates his 21st birthday today and I remember having numerous conversations with him about mac & cheese last year. He's still convinced that the synthetic, plastic stuff from the blue package is better than the real thing. Hopefully, I can convince him to change his mind next year with this Mac & Cheese.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my fair share of melted cheese but I hate how some mac & cheese come drenched in melted cheddar cheese that looks like it's been in a cheddary downpour. There are lots of flavors going into my version and it's quite rich. To balance out the richness, I simply grate a little bit of parmesan cheese over before I bake it rather then drowning the macaroni with a yellowy shower. A great comfort food for any occasion. Remember, steer away from that blue box with the freakish, yellow dinosaur. Also, happy birthday Ryne, thank you for being a great friend.

Macaroni and Cheese (that's not in a blue box)
Original, Serves 4

Ingredients: (Macaroni and Fillings)
- 1 box of elbow macaroni
- 4 strips of bacon, cut into lardons
- 2 shallots, finely diced
- 1.5 cups, sliced portebella mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- leaves of 2 to 3 thyme sprigs
- 0.3333 cup white wine

1) Cook macaroni per package directions until a little before al dente. Make sure the boiling water is salted and olive oiled. Drain (DO NOT WASH) and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and butter a baking dish.
2) Add bacon lardons to a hot pan and cook until crisp. About 5 - 8 minutes. Remove to a plate with paper towels to drain the excess grease.
3) Add some olive oil and when the pan is hot again, add in the shallots. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the shallots turn translucent at about medium heat.
4) Add in the sliced mushrooms (make sure they're washed and cleaned...), thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper. Don't be shy with the salt, it helps draw out all of the moisture in the mushrooms. Add a couple tablespoons of butter and cook until mushrooms are browned and reduce in size. About 5 minutes.
5) Deglaze the pan with the third of a cup of white wine. Reduce the wine and set aside.
Ingredients: (White Sauce)
- 3 tablespoons, unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons, AP flour
- 3.5 cups milk
- 0.5 cup heavy cream
- pinch of nutmeg
- 2.5 cups cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 egg yolks

6) Add butter and flour to a pan and cook out the flour. Make sure the pan isn't too hot, you don't want to brown the butter. Cook for about 1 - 2 minutes.
7) Switch to a whisk and add in the milk in thirds, whisking vigorously to prevent any lumps from forming. After the last addition, the mixture should be a white, luxurious, lump-free white sauce. Add in the cream and a pinch of nutmeg. The nutmeg draws out the flavor of the white sauce and takes the sauce to a whole new dimension.
8) Add in the cheeses gradually, whisking to keep the smooth sauce.
9) After all of the cheese has been added, add in the egg yolks and whisk to prevent curdling.
10) Combine the macaroni, bacon/mushroom mixture and the cheese sauce together and pour into the buttered baking dish.
11) Grate some Parmesan cheese over the max & cheese and bake for about 15 minutes or until the Parmesan cheese is golden brown.
12) Serve immediately and enjoy REAL mac & cheese!