Recipe: Alton Brown's Baked Macaroni and Cheese

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

1/2 pound elbow macaroni, uncooked
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, divided use
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
Fresh black pepper
For the Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the macaroni to al dente; drain.

While the macaroni 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 the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika into the flour mixture. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg (beat a small amount of the hot mixture into the egg before stirring the egg into the sauce mixture).

Stir 3/4 of the cheese into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the cheese sauce and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

To make the topping, melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the buttered bread crumbs.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Adapted from source: Alton Brown, Food TV Network
Show: Good Eats, Episode: For Whom the Cheese Melts 2