Stovetop mac and cheese with three-cheese sauce

Ingredients

Pasta

• 400 g macaroni or cavatappi

Sauce

• 50 g unsalted butter
• 50 g plain flour
• 700 ml whole milk, warmed
• 200 ml single cream
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
• ½ tsp hot sauce (optional)
• Salt + black pepper

Cheese

• 200 g mature cheddar, grated
• 100 g gruyère, grated
• 50 g parmesan, finely grated

Method

1. Pasta. Boil in heavily salted water until 1 minute under al dente. Drain, reserving 200 ml pasta water.
2. Roux. Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Cook 1 minute, whisking.
3. Béchamel. Slowly whisk in warm milk. Keep whisking until smooth and thick enough to coat a spoon, 4-5 minutes.
4. Season. Stir in cream, mustard, nutmeg, hot sauce. Salt + pepper to taste.
5. Cheese. Off the heat, add cheddar, gruyère, parmesan. Whisk until fully melted and silky.
6. Combine. Add pasta to the sauce. Toss over low heat 1-2 minutes, loosening with reserved pasta water as needed.
7. Serve. Immediately, in warmed bowls.

Tips

• Add the cheese off the heat. Boiling béchamel with cheese = grainy sauce.
• Cook pasta 1 minute under al dente. It finishes in the sauce.
• A spoon of mustard + a splash of hot sauce. You won’t taste either, just depth.