Spooky Baked Macaroni & Cheese
All Hallows Eve, as the vigil day of the important solemnity of All Saints, was historically a day of required fasting and abstinence. Since 1962, the fasting and abstinence is recommended, but is no longer required. Our family tradition is to fast from screens and treats until sunset and to abstain from meat for the day. Fortunately, Halloween candy is 100% meat-free. I usually make “spooky” baked macaroni and cheese. The spookiness comes from cutting a ghost shape out of cheese slices and laying it on top of the macaroni and cheese as soon as it comes out of the oven. Very scary. And meat-free. Of course, it doesn’t HAVE to be spooky. I’ve also used this decoration technique to put a monstrance on top of a celebratory First Communion baked macaroni and cheese, and to spell out HAPPY BIRTHDAY. The possibilities are endless.
Ingredients
- 4 cups dried macaroni about 16 ounces
- 1 whole egg
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 lb. cheddar cheese grated (about 4 cups, plus about 1 cup extra for the top)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 deli slices of mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook the macaroni for 5 minutes. It will still be slightly firm. Drain and set aside.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg. In a large saucepan or dutch oven, melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook for a couple of minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn. Pour in the milk, and whisk until smooth. Cook until very thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.
- Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into the beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the eggs. Whisk together until smooth. Pour the egg into the sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth. Add in the cheese and stir to melt. Add the salt and pepper.
- Dump the drained cooked macaroni into a medium baking dish (mine is 8 x 12), pour the sauce on top of the noodles and stir to combine. Sprinkle with the extra cheese and bake until bubbly and golden on top, 10 to 15 minutes.
- While the macaroni is baking, prepare the spookiness. Set two cheese slices next to each other, touching, on a cutting board. With a small pointed knife, freehand cut a ghost shape out of the two cheese slices. Cut two ovals for eyes and a circle for a mouth. Set the other two slices next to each other and cut out the letters (and punctuation) B-O-O-!. Alternatively, you can put all four cheese slices in a rectangle/square and cut a larger ghost. Just after removing the baked macaroni from the oven, arrange the cut cheese shapes and letters on top. You have a bit of time to move things around, but work quickly. Then, leave it to sit on the counter to let the shapes melt together a bit before serving.
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