Eveready's Mac 'n Cheese

There's no way around it a diner must have good food at a good value.  Although I do love a good neon sign or a nice porcelain exterior ... and a friendly waitress will help compensate for a not so "over easy" egg ...  but, back to the food.  There are a lot of diners serving up yummy, trendy and in some cases even gourmet food. 

I recently made the Eveready Diner’s Three Cheese Mac and Cheese. Built in 1995 by Paramount (currently known as Modular Concepts, Inc.) the Eveready is a "newer" diner located in New York's Hudson Valley.

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water

1 pound elbow macaroni

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 tablespoons flour

3 cups cold milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 pound white cheddar cheese – shredded

4 ounces Romano cheese – shredded

4 ounces Asiago cheese – shredded

1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper (suggest cutting that in half)

2 cups panko

2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley for garnish

1)       Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

2)       Bring a large pot of water to a boil to for the macaroni. Cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain.

3)       Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and cook, whisking to make a paste/roux about 2 minutes. Add the milk and whisk vigorously until smooth. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, whisking occasionally, until the sauce is thick and bubbly. Add a heavy cream, all three cheeses, the 1 tablespoon salt, and the pepper. Cook, stirring, until the cheeses are fully melted.

4)       Add the cooked macaroni to the cheese sauce and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a 9x13-inch baking dish and to with the panko crumbs. Bake until hot and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Top with the fresh parsley.

4 to 6 servings (Yeah, right – try 8! This is a hearty dish.) This recipe can be found in the Diners, Drive-ins and Dives cookbook.