American Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese — From Jefferson’s 1802 White House to Your Cast-Iron Skillet

Transcript

Anna Park: In 1802, Thomas Jefferson served 'macaroni pie' at a White House state dinner, seeding a national obsession. We're tracing that history to the Southern cast-iron skillet version today. I'm Anna Park, and with me are two legends of Southern cooking: Chef Beulah Mae Johnson from Tuskegee, Alabama, and Chef Thaddeus Boudreaux from the New Orleans French Quarter. They'll guide us through creating the perfect baked macaroni and cheese.

Chef Beulah Mae Johnson: It all starts with the pasta, baby. You want about 450 grams, that's one pound, of good elbow macaroni. Now, listen close: boil it in plenty of salty water for just 6 minutes, which is 2 minutes shy of what the package tells you. It's gonna finish cookin' in that beautiful cheese sauce in the oven, honey. You pull it out a little underdone so it doesn't turn to mush later on. That's the first secret.

Chef Thaddeus Boudreaux: Mais, the heart of this dish, it's the sauce, cher. And that starts with a proper roux. You take equal parts butter and flour, about 56 grams or a quarter cup of each. Melt that butter down, whisk in your flour, and cook it gentle, now. No more than 90 seconds over a medium heat, maybe 140 Celsius or 285 Fahrenheit. We want a blond roux, not a dark one, to keep that sauce creamy and smooth. It thickens everything up, you see.

Chef Beulah Mae Johnson: That's right. Once that roux is ready, you make your béchamel. The trick, honey, is to warm your milk first. Take 700 milliliters, or about 3 cups, of whole milk and just warm it to 40 Celsius, that's 105 Fahrenheit. Then you slowly whisk it into your roux. This stops it from gettin' lumpy, baby. Bring it to a simmer and let it go for 4 minutes, stirrin' all the while. It'll get thick and lovely, just like a velvet coat.

Chef Thaddeus Boudreaux: Now for the magic, cher! Take that pan off the heat. This is important, oui? You don't want your cheese to get grainy. We add our three cheeses. First, 200 grams of a sharp, aged cheddar. Then 100 grams of a nutty Gruyère. And last, 60 grams of salty Parmigiano-Reggiano. Always grate your own! That pre-shredded stuff has cellulose powder on it that makes a sauce gritty. Stir 'til it's all melted and beautiful.

Chef Beulah Mae Johnson: Time to put it all together, baby. Fold your par-cooked macaroni into that glorious cheese sauce. Pour it all into a buttered cast-iron skillet. Now for the crownin' glory: the toppin'. Melt 45 grams, that's 3 tablespoons, of butter and toss it with 100 grams of panko breadcrumbs, 30 grams of parmesan, and a pinch of smoked paprika. Toast that in a pan for 2 minutes 'til it's golden, then sprinkle it all over the top.

Chef Thaddeus Boudreaux: Into the oven it goes. A hot oven, now. 210 degrees Celsius, or 410 Fahrenheit. Middle rack for 18 minutes, until it's bubbly all over. Then, you hit it with the broiler for just 2 minutes to get that crust a beautiful deep brown. But the hardest part is next, cher. You MUST let it rest for at least 7 minutes. If you cut in too soon, that beautiful sauce will run everywhere instead of clinging to the pasta.

Chef Beulah Mae Johnson: And while this is my go-to recipe, this dish travels, honey. Down in Thad's New Orleans, they'll spice it up with andouille sausage and Crystal hot sauce. I hear up on the Connecticut shoreline they put smoked gouda and big ol' chunks of lobster in it. And folks in Vermont even put a maple syrup glaze on top! It's a dish that wears a lot of different hats, but the heart of it is always that creamy, cheesy comfort.

Anna Park: From a presidential dinner to the heart of the Southern home. Three key takeaways for our home cooks: first, always grate your own cheese to avoid gritty sauces. Second, undercook your pasta initially so it can absorb the sauce in the oven. And third, let the finished dish rest before serving. Chef Beulah Mae Johnson and Chef Thaddeus Boudreaux, thank you both for sharing your incredible expertise with us.