Baked Macaroni and Cheese
2 1/2 cups milk, 2 bay leaves, 1 pound elbow, shell or ziti macaroni, 4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), 3 tablespoons flour, 1 1/2 cups grated cheese (sharp cheddar), 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and 1/2 cup or more plain bread crumbs, perferably fresh.
1. Preheat oven 400F. Bring large pot of water to a boil.
2. Cook the milk with leaves in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. When small bubbles appear along the side, about 5 minutes later, turn off the heat and let stand. Salt the boiling water and cook the pasta to the point where it still needs another minute or two to become tender. Drain it, rinse it quickly to stop cooking, and place it in large bowl.
3. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter; when it is foamy, add the flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture browns, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves from the milk and add about 1/4 cup of milk to hot flour mixture, stirring with wire whisk all the while. As soon as the mixture becomes smooth, add a little mor milk, and continue to do so untill all the milk is used up an the mixture is thick and smooth. Add the Cheddar and stir.
4. Pour the sauce over the pasta, toss in the Parmesan, and season with salt and pepper. Use the remaining butter to grease a 9 X 13-inch or like-sized baking pan and turn the pasta mixture into it. Top liberally with the bread crumbs and bake until the crumbs turn brown, about 15 minutes. Serve hot. Yum-Yum. Enjoy and Good luck.
