3 cups milk (I used 2 cups whole milk, and 1 cup skim milk)
½ cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf (I omitted)
½ tsp paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 tsp kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
3 tbsp butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about 5 minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer 10 minutes and remove bay leaf.
Temper in the egg. Stir in ¾ of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Melt remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs.
Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Source: Alton Brown
Recipe by Dallas Duo Bakes at http://dallasduobakes.com/2010/11/baked-macaroni-and-cheese.html