Our go-to m&c recipe for years; decades, in fact. Originally from the (original) The Best Recipe cookbook, but adapted to within an inch of its life over the years. It has a thick, creamy sauce with an assertive, rich flavor.
- 1 lb of your preferred pasta shape (elbows, shells, rigatoni, etc)
- 2 large eggs
- 12 ounces whole milk
- ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon prepared mustard (or 1 teaspoon dry mustard mixed with 1 teaspoon water)
- 4 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
- 12 ounces cheese, grated (cheddar preferred; jack works great, too; a little cream cheese never hurt, either)
- Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to directions, but stopping a litter early: pasta should be tender but still a little firm.
- Meanwhile, mix eggs, 1 cup (8 ounces) of the milk, salt, pepper, and mustard in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Grate the cheese (if you haven't already).
- When the pasta is done, drain it and return it to the pan. Add the butter, toss, and cover to melt. Go back to grating that cheese.
- Once the butter has (mostly) melted, turn heat to low and add the egg mixture along with ½–¾ of the cheese. Stir until thoroughly combined and the cheese has mostly melted.
- Add the rest of the milk and cheese, stirring constantly (frequently) and gently, until the mixture is hot and creamy, about 5 minutes.
Notes:
- The sauce starts out very runny. Have faith and keep stirring. It will thicken!
- Play with the cheese: we use Cabot Seriously Sharp cheddar because it's what we usually have on hand. Additions of Monterey jack (or pepper jack), cream cheese, even a little blue or Gruyère work well.
- The original recipe calls for dry mustard, which will have a mild flavor. We usually use a prepared dijon-style mustard, whatever we have on hand.
- Mixins! If your kids will tolerate it, try mixing in fried onions, roasted poblanos or green chilis, or chipotles. Play around, we've found it hard to go wrong.