Good Eats: World's Best Mac and Cheese

One of our last stops on our tasting tour of the Pike Place Market was at Beecher's Handmade Cheese, where we were treated to a sampling of their flagship cheddar cheese and a taste of what may very well be the world's best mac and cheese. As Wisconsinites, we know our cheese - and our mac and cheese, and Beecher's produces the best of both. At Jim's insistence, we returned later in the day to buy more of the flagship cheese to enjoy with wine in our hotel room. I also considered purchasing the "World's Best" Mac and Cheese Kit so that I could reproduce the delectably creamy mac and cheese at home, but at $45, I thought that it might be cheaper to simply download the recipe as our tour guide had suggested and make the dish without the kit. I haven't tried making the mac and cheese yet, but I'm looking forward to doing so. I can only hope that it tastes as good as it did fresh from the Market!

Recipe for: World's Best Mac and Cheese
From: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
Butter or vegetable oil, for baking dish
6 ounces penne
2 cups Beecher's Flagship Cheese Sauce
1 ounce cheddar cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
1 ounce Gruyere cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or oil an 8-inch baking dish; set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Cook penne, according to package directions, for 2 minutes less than recommended on the package. Rinse pasta in cold water; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together cooked pasta and sauce gently but thoroughly. Pour pasta into prepared baking dish; sprinkle with cheeses and chile powder. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.