My Baked Macaroni

Been semi MIA because of Aly's term break because if she's not on the computer, we're busy with her playdates.  Anyhoo, to make up for my lack of posts, I'm going to share a cooking secret with you.  A warning though: it's not really groundbreaking but I've received quite a few requests for my baked mac in the past so I think I'm doing something right and it's worth sharing nevertheless.

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My baked macaroni

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Of course, it goes without saying that you should only use the best ingredients.  My mom would always say, "kung titipirin mo lang din ang ingredients, wag na ka magluto."  But I think what makes my baked mac a cut above the rest (naks!) is the topping.

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Mozzarella cheese...perfectly gratinated.  Ok, is that really a term?  Basta I'm referring to the browned cheese on top.

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I do that in two steps: first, I put my oven on bake setting to melt the cheese.    That's at 350 degrees F for around 15-12 minutes.  Then, once the cheese has melted, I put it on broiler setting.  That's around 10 minutes, but I watch it real closely because I don't want to burn the cheese.  When the cheese starts to brown in all the right places, I turn the oven off.

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So my baked mac has three layers: the pasta + sauce mixture, bechamel sauce and mozzarella cheese.  I have to admit though that I've only "upgraded" to mozzarella cheese in the last two years or so.  But the one thing that's been constant in my baked mac is the bechamel sauce, which is just a simple sauce using butter, flour and milk.  Mozzarella is more expensive than the regular cheese that we use back home, but it makes all the difference!  And for me, it's not as salty as Kraft cheddar or Magnolia quickmelt.  Believe me, once you go mozzarella, you will never go back to regular cheese.  Besides, can regular cheese do this?

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The stringed cheese effect.

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Hope this tip helps.  Happy cooking!