Baked Macaroni and cheese

Having two small children, we eat a lot of macaroni and cheese. I am not a big fan of the boxed macaroni and cheese myself, so I usually make it from scratch. I typically use my mother-in-law's recipe (using Velveeta), which is fairly simple and really takes no more time than making it out of a box. But since I find myself making this so often, usually about once a week, I started the search for a different way of making it that would be a little more enjoyable on the culinary scale. I came across this recipe for Baked Macaroni and Cheese from Alton Brown. It has much more flavor, since it calls for REAL cheese, and it has a crunchy topping that gives it a very appealing texture. On the down side, it takes much longer and is more difficult to prepare, but in my opinion it is worth it every once in a while. I forgot to take a picture of this one, but will include it the next time I make it!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper

Topping:
3 Tbsp butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

3. While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

4. Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 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.

5. Melt the 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 five minutes before serving.