It used to cost me in the neighborhood of $500 to get, arguably, the world's best mac 'n' cheese. That's the rough cost of an airline ticket to Seattle and a take-out casserole from Beecher's Handmade Cheese store at the Pike Place Market. Beecher's recently added an East Coast location in lower Manhattan. The new 8,000-square-foot shop/factory/restaurant opened in the Flatiron District at 900 Broadway.
Across the street from Beecher's is the High Line Park, an elevated linear walkway, built on a section of the former elevated freight railroad spur called the West Side Line. It has been redesigned and planted as an aerial greenway. About a mile and a half long, the city's newest park is a marvel of gardens, sculptures, lawns, art installations and surprise eateries.
Next trip to the Apple, get the city's best two-fer -- excellent cheese and the hottest tourist site in Manhattan: Beecher's Handmade Cheese, 900 Broadway, at 20th Street (1-212-466-3340 or beechershandmadecheese.com).
If you must, substitute an aged cheddar cheese for Beecher's. It won't be quite the same but still pretty, pretty good.
Beecher's Mac and Cheese
PG tested
- 12 ounces good-quality penne pasta
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 14 ounces Beecher's Flagship Cheese, grated
- 2 ounces Monterey Jack, grated
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, depending on the cheese
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook penne for 2 minutes less than recommended on the package. Rinse in cold water; set aside. Pasta should still have a slight crunch.
Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat; whisk in flour. Continue whisking and cooking for 2 minutes. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly until sauce has thickened (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat.
Add cheeses (reserve 2 ounces to top final dish), salt to taste, half the chile powder, and all of the garlic powder. Stir until cheese has melted and all ingredients are well incorporated, about 3 minutes.
In a medium bowl, mix together cooked pasta and sauce gently but thoroughly. Pour pasta into prepared baking dish; sprinkle with remaining cheese and remaining chile powder.
Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 10.
-- Beecher's Handmade Cheese
First Published: October 23, 2011, 4:00 a.m.
