Sheet Macaroni and Cheese Inspired by Barbara

I am sure that like me you have a list of recipes in your culinary "bucket list" from many different sources. I am also positive our lists are getting longer and longer, so long in fact, that we will just have to live forever!!! Then there are some recipes that we come across that jump ahead of the pack and we just have to make them as soon as possible. For me this is just that recipe!

For those of you who read this blog on occasion you will know that I am participating with Mary over at One Perfect Bite and making recipes from Gourmet Lives 50 Women Game Changers. Each week we e-mail and collaborate and choose our recipes from each of the 50 outstanding women on the list. I choose my recipes carefully and indulge my every whim...I didn't think it could get any better!!!! Last week for our challenge Barbara of Moveable Feasts brought Sheet Macaroni and Cheese to the table. I knew I would be making this recipe as soon as it crossed my radar. Amanda Hesser, cocreator of food52.com and coauthor of The food52 Cookbook , found the perfect balance between crispy and creamy macaroni and cheese.

Just like muffin tops the best part of a comforting dish of macaroni and cheese for me are the crunchy bits and in the case of mac 'n' cheese the crunchy bread on top as well. Me "being me" I wanted to use my favourite all time recipe from Beechers using the same technique!!! Believe me it is the best of both worlds! To create those sought after crunchy bits in every bite spread your macaroni and cheese onto a baking sheet and expect to be transported...let me just say it was everything I hoped would be!

In the heart of Seattle's historic Pike Place Market people press their noses against the windows at Beecher's Handmade Cheese a Seattle institution to witness a vat of creamy white milk transformed by the expert hands of the cheesemaker. A visit to Beecher's is a feast for the senses. The sights and sounds of the Pike Place Market provide a memorable backdrop. Their cheese makes the perfect cheese for my ultimate comfort food, although you could also substitute with a local sharp Cheddar as well. I wouldn't want you to miss out!

I am submitting this recipe to Presto Pasta Nights which has been the baby of Ruth over at Once Upon a Feast for over 5 glorious years. Whenever we feel the urge for some pasta we can go over to her site and have years of entries from all over the world to choose from, from pasta salad to lasagna to Pho. There is a pasta for every season, every ingredient and every taste. All of these delicious pasta dishes have been submitted by all of you!!!  Ruth says, " Every week food bloggers photograph and write about their latest pasta creation… if it’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner; served hot or cold; spicy or sweet; from appetizers to mains to desserts." This week the event is being hosted by the lovely Tandy of Lavender and Lime.

**My Beecher's Sheet Macaroni and Cheese**

6 ounces penne or other tubular pasta
2 cups Beecher's Flagship Sauce (recipe follows)
1 ounce cheddar, grated ( 1/4 cup)
1 ounce Gruyere cheese, grated ( 1/4 cup)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1 slice thickly cut white bread, buttered and cut into cubes

Preheat oven to 500°F. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the penne 2 minutes less than package directions. (It will finish cooking in the oven.) Rinse pasta in cold water, drain and set aside.

Make cheese sauce according to the recipe below. Add pasta and stir to combine. Combine cooked pasta and Flagship Sauce in a medium bowl and mix carefully but thoroughly. Spread mixture in 11-by-17-in. rimmed baking sheet, shaking pan to fill evenly. Sprinkle with 1 oz grated Cheddar, 1 oz grated Gruyere . Sprinkle with extra Chipotle chile powder if desired. Top with buttered bread cubes. Bake until browned and crisp on top, about 15 minutes.

serves 4 as a side dish

**Beechers Flagship Cheese Sauce**

makes about 4 cups; enough for a double recipe

1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
14 ounces semi hard cheese, such as Beecher's Flagship, grated (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 ounces grated semi soft cheese, such as Beecher's Just Jack
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Continue whisking and cooking for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat. Add the cheese, salt, chile powder and garlic powder. Stir until the cheese is melted and all ingredients are incorporated, about 3 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to three days.

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