7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1 pound elbow macaroni
3 cups coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (about 12 ounces)
1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces)
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter a 3- to 4-quart baking dish.
Melt 6 tablespoons butter over med-low heat. Add flour and cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. SLowly add milk, whisking, continue whisking until it comes to a boil. Add mustard, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened (about 2-5 minutes).
Cook macaroni. Stir together macaroni, sauce, Cheddar, and 1 cup Parmesan. Put it in the buttered dish, evenly distributed.
In another bowl, stir together bread crumbs and remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and sprinkle evenly over macaroni mix. Cut remaining 1 tablespoon butter into bits and scatter over topping.
Bake macaroni in middle of oven 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
Of course, the simpler route (and my favorite) is elbow macaroni with milk and Velveeta added to it.
