Nothing says comfort like homemade mac and cheese

By JOE BONWICH
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

It’s a feather in every cook’s cap to be able to make a great macaroni-and-cheese dish. Maybe you already have a favorite recipe — but if not, we’ve collected several.

On the extremely elegant end, we offer a recipe by Thomas Keller, the renowned chef of the French Laundry in Yountville, Calif.; Bouchon in Yountville and Las Vegas; and Per Se in New York City.

For variety, we found a Mexican mac using poblano chiles, a mac and blue cheese and Parmesan instead of Cheddar, and a dieter’s delight that reduces the high fat and caloric content of the classic dish.

And, any of these (save variations that add kielbasa or ham) make an ideal vegetarian dish.

Upscale macaroni and cheese

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, plus more to prepare baking dish
3 large red bell peppers (about 1-1/2 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
5 ribs celery, chopped
Salt
Ground black pepper
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1-1/2 cups half-and-half
1 pound blue cheese, crumbled
Ground red (cayenne) pepper
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup chopped celery leaves
1 pound penne pasta
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)

• Butter a 4-quart oval baking dish. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

• Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and celery; saute until just beginning to soften, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

• Combine cream, half-and-half and blue cheese in a heavy medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until cheese melts. Remove from heat. Season sauce with cayenne and salt and pepper to taste.

• Beat yolks in a medium bowl until blended. Gradually whisk in half of the cheese sauce. Return mixture to the saucepan; whisk to blend. Stir in celery leaves. Set aside.

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta; cook until just tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Return pasta to its cooking pot. Add sauce and vegetables; stir to blend. Transfer to the baking dish. (Can be made one day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let come to room temperature before continuing.)

• Sprinkle Parmesan over the pasta mixture. Bake until the pasta is heated through, the sauce is bubbling and the top is beginning to brown, about 25 minutes.

Yield: 12 servings. Adapted from a recipe on Epicurious.com.

Lightened macaroni and cheese

1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter, softened, or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white rice flour
2-1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 clove
1 small shallot, peeled
1 small imported bay leaf
Freshly ground white pepper
8 ounces elbow macaroni
3 ounces sharp Vermont Cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack, shredded (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
3-1/4 ounces dry (aged) Jack, aged Gouda or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup), divided

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a 2-quart ovenproof casserole dish with butter or oil.

• Rinse a small saucepan with cold water (to make cleanup easy). Add rice flour. With a whisk, gradually beat in enough milk to make a thick paste. Whisk in the remaining milk until well blended. Add salt. Stick the clove into the shallot; add to the milk mixture along with the bay leaf and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over very low heat, whisking frequently. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the mixture has the consistency of thick cream. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl; set the sauce aside.

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; salt well. Add macaroni; cook until it is almost tender but still quite firm to the bite (it will continue cooking in the oven). Drain well; return to the pot. Stir in sauce, Cheddar cheese, paprika, and all but 2 tablespoons of the dry Jack cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

• Pour the macaroni into the casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons dry Jack cheese. (If desired, cover and leave at room temperature up to 2 hours.) Bake for 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Serve at once.

Yield: 4 servings. Adapted from “A New Way to Cook,” by Sally Schneider (Artisan, $24.95).

Pasta with poblano sauce

4 poblano chiles
1 medium onion, unpeeled
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup heavy cream or more as needed
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 pound fusilli, rotelle or other pasta suitably shaped for “catching” sauce
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, divided
1/2 pound white Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups), divided

• Place a griddle or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add chiles; cook, turning occasionally with tongs, until blackened on all sides. Place hot chiles in a plastic or brown paper bag; let sit 2 to 5 minutes. Remove from bag, scrape off blackened skin and remove stem, core and seeds.

• Increase heat under griddle to high. Add unpeeled onion; roast until dark on all sides. Place garlic on the griddle; roast until dark on all sides. Peel the blackened skin from the onion and garlic.

• Combine chiles, onion, garlic, cilantro and cream in a blender or food processor; puree. If mixture is too thick, add a bit of water or a bit more cream. Add salt.

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees if using a glass baking dish). Butter a 2-quart heatproof dish. Add half the pasta; dot with 1/4 cup butter, half the sauce and 1 cup cheese. Repeat the layers, using the remaining ingredients. Bake until heated through, about 25 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings. Adapted from “Food From My Heart,” by Zarela Martinez (Macmillan, $25).