buttermilk? ...check.

Okay, okay, so I'm still on a buttermilk kick. Well, to be truthful, I'm pretty much over the super-excitement crush phase and more onto the "How do I use up this tiny yet long-lasting carton of delicious buttermilk?" phase.

So I decided to make macaroni and cheese.

Macaroni and cheese: one of my favorite foods, no matter the form. Yeah, that's right, I like the Kraft blue box just fine on my lazy days, but I also enjoy my mom's homemade recipe that produces a creamy, milky end product. And I've made that recipe lots. But... the last few times, I've found it lacking. It was a tad bland. It needed a little jazz. In short, I now realized, it needed some buttermilk.

With its crazy beautiful photos and simple ingredient list, this recipe, which I found on six course dinner, seemed like the perfect thing to try. I can't tell you how GOOD the cheese sauce smelled and tasted as I was stirring it up. I'm a little ashamed (but not too much) to say I had to fight the temptation to eat it by the spoonful, way before it even hit the elbow noodles. It had the tang of buttermilk mixed wonderfully with a one-year farmhouse cheddar.

Let's talk cheese for a minute. Working at a farm that makes their own handmade cheddar got me into cheese in a big way. I chose a one-year cheddar because it's still young enough to be creamy, but also sharp enough to add lots of flavor to the macaroni. I think it was the right choice. Even after adding the first handful of shredded cheese to the sauce, it had great flavor while staying nice and milky-smooth. I'd definitely recommend it.

Also, let's talk breadcrumbs. This was the first time I tried panko breadcrumbs (Japanese breadcrumbs made from the soft bread center rather than the crusts) and they are so good! They're infinitely more crispy than any other breadcrumb I've ever had. I wasn't sure how much flavor, if any, they would add to the dish, so I played it safe on seasonings. I shouldn't have; the panko, while providing great texture to the pasta, didn't give any extra flavor. If I did it again, I would use more pepper or even a touch of mustard seed powder.

However, this is the best macaroni and cheese recipe I've made so far. It's delicious. And you should try it. Yes, you. The one at the computer.

Buttermilk Macaroni and Cheese

Adapted from six course dinner

8 oz. elbow noodles

8 oz. cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons flour

2 tablespoons butter

1/8 teaspoon paprika

panko breadcrumbs

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil the pasta in salted water, then drain.

As the pasta boils, heat the butter on medium heat. Let it melt and brown a little before stirring in the flour. Whisk constantly until fully incorporated. Slowly add the buttermilk, then stir in 6 oz. of the cheese and the paprika. When fully melted, add the mixture to the pasta, and season with salt and pepper.

Pour into a baking dish, and top with the remaining 2 oz. of cheese and a generous layer of breadcrumbs. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes, then remove foil and let the top brown. (I switched my oven to broil for a few minutes to get there faster.) Eat!