Aunt Penny's Macaroni and Cheese

There's nothing like homemade mac and cheese. There are two kinds - baked with the crunchy top; and stove-top - just plain creamy. I prefer the baked, and this is that style. This is not your fancy-shmancy Quattro Formaggio-style restaurant mac and cheese. It's traditional down-home comfort food. I experienced this in Rangeley Maine, developed by Gye's Aunt Penny, made by her cousin, Laura. It's all about the quality of cheese - however, you can't just use high-quality aged, hard cheddar, you need some of the more processed stuff to make it creamy and keep it from separating. This is best when you use the cheddar you get from the huge wheel at the corner market in Oquossoc, Maine. I've adapted this for cheese I can get here and added a bit of technique of my own.

Serves 4

4 Tb butter

4 Tb flour

2   cups milk

1/2-3/4   lb best possible sharp Cheddar Cheese, cut up into 1/4" cubes (I use around 1 lb total including about 8 oz (1 chunk) of Cougar Gold* or white Super-Sharp Canadian from Whole Foods and an 8 oz chunk of orange Tillamook Extra Sharp for color and texture)

3/4   lb macaroni (I use a whole1 lb bag)

4   Tb melted butter

Preheat oven to 350°

Make a roux out of the butter, flour and milk:   Melt the butter in a large saucepan. While melting, put flour in a bowl and, little-by-little, add some of the milk, stirring to make a smooth flowing paste and avoid lumps. Add the rest of the milk to the melted butter, and add the flour mixture.   Heat to a low boil, stirring constantly (it's very easy to burn the bottom.) Cook and whisk until thick enough to coat spoon/whisk. Add about 2/3 of the cheese. Stir until melted.

Cook the macaroni in large stock pot with sale (cook al dente, as it will cook more in casserole). Drain and put into a 13x9x2 casserole. Pour in the melted butter and mix to coat.

Toss 1/2 of the remaining cheese on the pasta, pour the cheese sauce over it and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Bake at 350° for about 45-55 min. until it's getting golden-brown on the top and edges.

*Cougar Gold is the most amazing aged, crumbly, sharp cheddar with crystals like Parmesan. And, it comes in a can! You have to order it from Washington State University. They've been making it for generations. https://creamery.wsu.edu/cougar-cheese/