Pepperjack Bacon Mac & Cheese

If there was ever any doubt that I truly love my husband - my undying devotion has been proven.

Using a basic (but wonderful) Cooks Illustrated recipe, I have brought together 3 of Mr. Vittles' favorite things into one glorious dish:

• mac & cheese
• pepperjack
• bacon
  
  

And let me just tell you all, this received the prized and coveted eyebrow raise + emphatic "really good" rating from The Man himself.

In fact, I could barely make out the "really good" part as he was stuffing his face with mouthfuls of this creamy macaroni!

Ok, listen.  I don't see such reactions often, so allow me just a moment to revel in this achievement.

To prove its few & far between, the last time I received this level of praise was about a year ago.  I entered a contest for Food Network Magazine's secret ingredient (which, for that particular issue, was coconut) and created an original recipe for a Coconut Kona Ice Cream.

Which was A-MA-ZING, if I do say so myself.

More on that soon - don't worry, I'm more than free to share that recipe with you since I got robbed in the contest by some chick with a coconut scone recipe.

Scones?  Like, seriously... who even eats scones?

????

(I dunno, maybe you eat scones.  Sometimes I do too.  The real issue is actually that I was a big ol' loser in said contest, and am clearly still bitter).

Anyhoo - my point is, Mr. V was loving every second of the coconut-coffee ice cream combo.  Much like when he took a bite of my Pepperjack Bacon Mac & Cheese.

So enjoy!

And if you're a wifey like me, you can go make your husband even happier that he married you :)

Pepperjack Bacon Mac & Cheese

• 1 lb. elbow macaroni
• 1 T. salt
• 3 T. butter
• 3 T. flour
• 3/4 t. ground mustard
• 1/8 t. cayenne pepper
• 1/4 t. garlic powder
• 2 1/2 C. milk
• 8 oz. pepperjack cheese, grated
• 8 strips of (cooked) bacon, crumbled or chopped in small pieces
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 C. panko bread crumbs
  

Preheat broiler.  Cook elbow macaroni in 4 quarts water with 1 T. salt until tender (just past al dente stage).  Drain macaroni and set aside. 

In now empty pot, melt butter over medium heat until foaming.

Add flour, mustard, cayenne & garlic powder and whisk well to combine.  Continue whisking about 1 minute, until fragrant.

Gradually whisk in milk about a cup at a time, then bring mixture to a boil while whisking constantly.  (This is important - mixture must reach a boil to thicken fully).

Then reduce heat to medium & simmer, whisking occasionally, until consistency becomes that of heavy cream (about 5 minutes). 

Remove from heat and whisk in cheese, salt & bacon. Add drained pasta and return whole pot to burner over medium low, stirring mixture until steaming & heated through (5-6 minutes).

Transfer mixture to a broiler-safe, greased 9x13" pan and sprinkle panko on top.  Place in broiler on middle/lower rack and broil 3-5 minutes until crumbs are browned.

Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe Adapted from Cook's Illustrated's "Classic Macaroni & Cheese"