Day 14- Martha Stewart's Mac and Cheese

The reviewers of this recipe claim that Martha's Mac and Cheese is hands down the best mac and cheese you can make. Well, of course I had to put it to the test!

 Of course, substitutions had to be made. The selection of cheeses here in Morocco leaves a lot to be desired. No cheddar or any kind (ok, ONCE I found a cheddar, but it was not very good and I only saw it the one time). In place of cheddar I used Edam (red ball). It's the most common cheese here and it's not too bad. I also used parmesan in place of the gruyere as Mohamed didn't really like it. (We had it  on day 8).

First you prepare the croutons that will go on top. Tear up some quality white bread- I used a baguette which didn't yield much once I removed the crust. Next time I'd double it because those croutons were good!

Then I melted some butter and tossed it with the bread. This gets set aside until just before baking.

The next step is the cheese sauce which is only slightly more complicated than the croutons. In one pan, you heat the milk. In another melt more butter. After the butter's melted, you add some flour and cook it up for about a minute.

When the butter/flour mixture is ready, you add the hot milk and continuously whisk the mixture until it thickens and starts to bubble.

Once the milk mixture has thickened, the fun begins! That's when you add most of the cheese as well as salt, pepper, cayenne and nutmeg. I even ground my own nutmeg for the first time. It's true, I've learned a lot over these 14 days ;-). When the cheese sauces is all mixed up, you set it aside and make your macaroni. Instructions say to cook the macaroni until it's *almost* done as it will cook further in the oven.

Assembly begins once the noodles are cooked. Combine the macaroni with the cheese sauce and then dump it all into the casserole dish. Mmmmmm cheesy goodness!

On the top, I added the rest of the two cheeses as well as those croutons that I made earlier. If (let's be real- When) I make this again, I'll double up those croutons because they were excellent.

Twenty minutes in the oven and it's done! My oven is not the greatest- notice 2/3rds of the croutons are darker than the others. It is piping hot when it comes out, so try to restrain yourself and give it 5 minutes to set before digging in. (Good luck, I didn't make it!)

For an appetizer I made steamed artichokes. I had these for the first time a few weeks ago and my friend Sarah's house and they are yummy! Dipped in a garlic butter sauce of course...

The verdict: hot, creamy, cheesy deliciousness! Even with my cheese substitutions this was so comforting and good. I can only imagine if I had cheddar! This was also a HUGE hit with the boys. Mohamed gave it a 10/10. If you remember, prior to today there was only one 8/10 given (day 2) so this was serious. Mohamed also had seconds which he hasn't done in quite some time. Even Mohamed's brother finished his bowl! Abdelmalik is a chronic leaver of food...

So it's true, Martha really does make the best Mac and Cheese. At least that's one mystery solved. Find the complete recipe here- Martha Stewart's Mac and Cheese.

Tomorrow is the last day of the challenge! (Booooo Hissssss) I know, it's sad, but I'm ready for a vacation from my vacation cooking challenge. The last recipe is a soup that I'm very excited about- also from Epicurious- Pumpkin Soup with Honey and Cloves. I can't believe it's day 15 and this is my first soup! Hope it's good. See you all tomorrow.