Contest-Winning Pepper Jack Mac — My Twenty-First Birthday

I turned twenty-one Tuesday. Twenty-one is a strange number to be when you are a graduated mother of a toddler with a book proposal on submission. The legal-drinking-age threshold doesn’t mean anything to me right now — I am still nursing Brayden in the mornings and not drinking, plus my body has shifted enough since pregnancy that alcohol doesn’t feel right yet. Twenty-one is just a number.

Mama and Cody and the Bryants all called Tuesday across the day. Aunt Linda sent a card with a photo of me at one year old that I had never seen before. Dustin made dinner Tuesday night with the only dish he’s mastered — pan-seared salmon and roasted asparagus — and that was the right dinner for the day.

Sunday I hosted a small twenty-first dinner for the apartment with Cynthia and James (the same seminar friends who’d come to my twentieth) and their respective partners. Six total at the dining table including Brayden in his high chair. I made contest-winning pepper jack mac because the dish is the kind of celebratory mac-and-cheese that feels like a twenty-first-birthday party even though I’m not drinking, and because pepper jack mac is what a twenty-one-year-old Oklahoma kid would order at a Tulsa restaurant if she could pick one celebration entree.

The technique: cook a pound of cavatappi or elbow pasta al dente in heavily salted water. Drain.

The cheese sauce: a stick of butter melted in a heavy saucepan. Half a cup of all-purpose flour whisked in to make a roux cooked two full minutes. Three cups of warm whole milk whisked in slowly. Simmered for five minutes until thickened to coat the back of a spoon.

Off the heat, the cheeses stirred in one at a time: two cups of grated pepper jack (the move — pepper jack adds sharpness and the slight chile heat that distinguishes the dish from generic mac), one cup of grated sharp cheddar, one cup of grated mozzarella. Two teaspoons of Dijon, salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of cayenne, a teaspoon of garlic powder.

The sauce tossed with the cooked pasta in a large bowl. Transfer to a buttered nine-by-thirteen baking dish.

The topping: one and a half cups of panko breadcrumbs tossed with a half-cup of melted butter, a half-cup of grated parmesan, four strips of bacon cooked crisp and crumbled, two tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley. Sprinkled generously over the pasta.

The bake: three-seventy-five for twenty-five minutes until the topping is deeply golden and the edges are bubbling.

Cynthia and James and partners all toasted me. Dustin gave me his small toast that I’m keeping to myself again. The dish was right for the moment.

Three cheeses off-heat into the roux base. Bacon-panko-parm topping. Three-seventy-five for twenty-five. Here’s the build.

Contest-Winning Pepper Jack Mac

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 3 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese, divided
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup pickled jalapeño slices, optional for topping

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook macaroni according to package directions until just al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Build the roux. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan or cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes until the mixture turns lightly golden and smells nutty.
3. Add the liquid. Gradually pour in the milk and heavy cream, whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 4—5 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
4. Season the sauce. Stir in dry mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
5. Melt in the cheese. Reduce heat to low. Add 1 1/2 cups of the Pepper Jack and all of the cheddar, a handful at a time, stirring until each addition is fully melted and the sauce is smooth and glossy.
6. Combine. Add the drained macaroni to the cheese sauce and stir to coat every noodle evenly. Cook over low heat for 2—3 minutes until heated through.
7. Finish and serve. Transfer to a serving dish or serve straight from the skillet. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup Pepper Jack and jalapeño slices if desired. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 520 | Protein: 22g | Fat: 27g | Carbs: 48g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 610mg