Baked Mac and Cheese

February. Black History Month. New Hope AME's calendar is full and I am part of several of the events — a cooking demonstration on Sunday the nineteenth where I am making Bernice's cast iron cornbread and talking about its history, a reading group on Thursday evenings where we are doing James Baldwin this month, and the MLK Day meal carryover, which we extended into February because the need didn't stop when January ended.

The cooking demonstration is something I have never done publicly before — not in a formal capacity, not with people seated specifically to watch. I will stand at a table with the cast iron and the cornmeal and the buttermilk and I will make Bernice's cornbread the way she made it, the way I make it, talking about what I am doing and why and where it comes from. I am nervous about the talking. I am not nervous about the cornbread. The cornbread I can do in my sleep.

Kezia asked if she could come and watch. I said yes, and then I said — come and be my assistant. She looked at the word "assistant" like it was something she wanted to keep. She wrote it down in her notebook: February nineteenth. Assistant. I am almost certain she is going to be the one doing the demonstration at New Hope AME in twenty years and I will be the grandmother in the front row. That is exactly how it is supposed to go.

The MLK Day meal stretched into February because, as I said, the need didn’t stop — and neither did the cooking. While Bernice’s cornbread is the thing I’ll be demonstrating on the nineteenth, no church supper table is complete without a pan of baked mac and cheese anchoring it. This is the dish that travels alongside the cornbread, that feeds the people who show up for a reading group and stay longer than they planned, that Kezia has already started watching me make with the same quiet attention she brings to everything. It is not complicated. It is just good, and it is always needed.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 pound elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed
1 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, plus more for topping
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
1 cup Colby Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Velveeta or processed cheese, cubed (optional, for extra creaminess)

Instructions

Boil the pasta. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the macaroni 2 minutes less than the package directions — it should be just underdone. Drain and set aside.
Make the cheese sauce. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes until the raw flour smell is gone. Slowly pour in the warmed whole milk and evaporated milk, whisking continuously to prevent lumps.
Season the sauce. Stir in the mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Melt in the cheese. Remove the pan from heat. Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar, all of the Colby Jack, and the Velveeta if using. Stir until fully melted and smooth.
Temper and combine. Whisk a ladleful of the warm cheese sauce into the beaten eggs to temper them, then stir the egg mixture back into the saucepan. Add the drained pasta and stir until every piece is well coated.
Assemble. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour the mac and cheese into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Top evenly with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar and a light dusting of smoked paprika.
Bake. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden and the edges are bubbling. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Baked Mac and Cheese — The Dish That Feeds the Community When the Work Doesn’t Stop