Recipe: Dumont Dumac and Cheese (with mornay sauce)

DUMONT DUMAC AND CHEESE

Hungry? You'd better be. "The mac and cheese'" exults chef Polo Dobkin. "It's a gut-buster, man. Even when I was like twenty-one or twenty-two, at the height of my eating prowess, I don't think I could have put down a burger, fries, and a mac. But people do that here - routinely."

This is a deeply satisfying, devil-may-care preparation, made with love and a classic mornay sauce. "That's the secret," Dobkin says, though there really isn't one. "No truffle oil, no weird stuff. Make a good sauce, buy good cheese. That's it."



1 pound radiatore, elbow macaroni, or fusilli
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups whole milk
2 1/2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 pound Gruyere, grated, divided use
1/2 pound sharp white cheddar, grated, divided use
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente, according to the package directions. Drain, toss with the olive oil in a large bowl, and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, combine the milk and cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat; bring to a gentle simmer.

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until the flour is fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Continue mixing with a wooden spoon until the mixture is a pale golden color, about 4 minutes. Slowly add the hot milk and cream mixture to the flour mixture, whisking constantly to incorporate. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally to keep the mixture from burning. Add half the Gruyere and half the cheddar and whisk until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the cooked pasta and toss well to combine. Pour the pasta into a buttered 9x13-inch baking dish or 3-quart gratin dish. Top with the remaining Gruyere and cheddar and sprinkle with the bread crumbs.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Allow the mac and cheese to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings
Source: The New Brooklyn Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from 31 Restaurants that put Brooklyn on the Culinary Map by Melissa Vaughan and Brendan Vaughan