And the Oscar Goes To.....

........Alton Brown's macaroni and cheese recipe!

Our favorite Iron Chef commentator has a delicious M&C recipe on the Food Network.

Mom, little sister and I made it (ok, mom made it. little sister and I just ate it) for the Oscars last Sunday and it was divine.

We started by hiring an expert chef consultant named Chase.

Golden, bubbly and delicious. I LOVED the addition of the mustard and onion to the sauce.

It's definitely something I'll be trying again. Both ingredients added a delicious tang to the dish. Also, the panko bread crumbs were a yummy crisp and buttery topping.

 We enjoyed the macaroni and cheese with artichokes, yummy ribeyes and pinot noir.

Recipe:

1/2 pound elbow macaroni (about 2 cups)
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced*
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper

Topping:
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

For Topping:

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

We used a different pasta, but other than that followed the recipe. 

Enjoy!