This looks proper.


NYT's "Crusty Macaroni and Cheese" - omits the roux!!


""Crusty" is no exaggeration; the two cups of cheese used to top the casserole shrink-wrapped itself around the uppermost elbows. Eaten piping hot it was a little chewy and a little crispy; after the dish had cooled just a hair, the top layer had firmed to a leathery shield. The noodles below sweated fat, which collected unappealingly at the bottom of my earthenware dish. On my first attempt, I took the high road and used the all-cheddar option presented in the recipe. Bits of cheese clung clumpily to the elbows. Cheese that's not processed-and especially cheddar-needs help to achieve an ideal state of ooziness. And without the moderation of something creamy-ricotta, cr�me fraiche, or I think, ideally, white sauce-that much cooked cheddar loses some nuance and tastes a bit caustic. "