"Macarini "& Cheese

Adapted from The South’s Legendary Frances Virginia Tearoom Cookbook by Mildred Huff Coleman (second edition, 1996; printed by Standard Press, Inc.).

Serves 4 to 6

This is a custard-based macaroni and cheese. It does not have four cheeses or a secret ingredient. You do not make a cheese sauce. It is baked and custardy, not creamy.

Around here, we call it macarini and cheese because one summer, when I asked someone in my office to send me a copy of the recipe, she put “Macarini” in the Re: line of the email. It seemed funny at the time, and it stuck.

I once had Sunday supper in Cleveland at the home of my friend Polly’s mother. She had people over in the late afternoon after they had all been to the symphony. It was a warm, sunny day in early summer. The women wore cool cotton dresses; the men, linen blazers. Ruth was a good cook. Now, almost forty years later, I still have a number of her favorite recipes in the loose-leaf book of things I cook most.

That day the menu was plain: classic chicken salad, macaroni and cheese, a huge tossed Caesar-like salad, and triangles of toasted buttered pita bread, which I had never seen before, since bags of pita chips were not yet available at the market. Dinner was served buffet-style, and people found chairs to perch on—or not—but no one sat at a table. Everyone had a great time, drinking chilled white wine and eating everything in sight. The macaroni and cheese, in particular, disappeared in the blink of an eye. It was then I realized that simple, even humble, food can make a great party.

4 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni (If measured, this is a generous cup.)
2 cups whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
⅛ to ¼ teaspoon salt
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
A little butter to coat the casserole
2 tablespoons butter, optional, for dotting the top

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 1½-quart casserole. The one I use is Pyrex, rounded on the bottom.

Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water until slightly underdone. Drain, and set aside.

Mix the beaten egg, milk, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the cooked macaroni and the cubes of cheese, and stir. Pour the mixture into the buttered casserole. Dot the top with slivers of butter, if you are using them.

Bake until firm and lightly brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Note: I have never had this work properly with anything other than elbow macaroni. I mostly use De Cecco, since I can usually find it.