

Mix together the milk, mascarpone, and Parmesan in a large bowl. Add about a cup or so sautéed wild mushrooms, if you like, and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves (or 11/2 teaspoons dried sage). Substitute mascarpone cheese for the grated cheese. Omit the bay leaves, the first 3 tablespoons butter, and all of the flour. Super-creamy and decadent make this even more special with some sautéed wild mushrooms: Reduce the milk to 3/4 cup. Bake untilīubbling and browned on top, about 30 minutes. Repeat the layers, using the remaining flour, butter, and milk, and top with the remaining pasta, cheese, and bread crumbs. Sprinkle with half of the flour, fleck with half of the butter, cover with about 1/2 cup of the cheddar, pour half of the heated milk over the top, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Butter the baking pan with an extra 1 or 2 tablespoons butter. Here the ingredients are just layered and cooked together: Proceed with Stepsġ≣ as directed. Top liberally with bread crumbs and bake until bubbling and the crumbs turn brown, about 15 minutes. Use the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to grease a 9 x 13-inch or similar-size baking pan and turn the pasta mixture into it. Pour the sauce over the noodles, toss in the Parmesan, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. As soon as the mixture becomes smooth, add a little more milk and continue to do so until all the milk is used up and the mixture is thick and smooth.

Remove the bay leaves from the milk and add about 1/4 cup of the milk to the hot flour mixture, stirring with a wire whisk all the while. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter when it is foamy, add the flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture browns, about 5 minutes. Drain it, rinse it quickly to stop the cooking, and put it in a large bowl.Ĥ. Cook the pasta to the point where it is almost done but you would still think it needed another minute or two to become tender. When small bubbles appear along the sides, about 5 minutes later, turn off the heat and let stand.ģ. Cook the milk with the bay leaves in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.Ģ.
