Creamy sauce, crisp topping key to mac 'n' cheese

To get a perfect melding of the pasta and the cheese sauce, you'll need to ignore conventional wisdom about cooking pasta until just tender (al dente). To help the cheese sauce stick to the pasta, the macaroni is cooked until just beyond al dente, which makes it more absorbent and starchier.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Preparation time, start to finish: 45 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

1/2 cup unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons, divided

2 tablespoons salt, plus more to taste1 pound elbow macaroni

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Ground black pepper, to taste

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided

2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 cup panko or other coarse breadcrumbs

Heat the oven to broil. Use 1 tablespoon of butter to generously coat a 3-quart casserole dish.

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large stockpot. Add 2 tablespoons of salt, stir, then add the pasta. Cook until tender and just past al dente, about 10 to 13 minutes, or slightly longer than package directions.

Drain, then transfer pasta to a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the pasta, toss and set aside.

To make the sauce: In a small saucepan over low heat, bring the milk to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat.

In a medium saucepan over medium, melt 1/2 cup of the remaining butter, using a whisk to swirl it to ensure the butter melts completely and does not turn brown. If the butter begins to brown, lower the heat.

While whisking, sprinkle in the flour. Continue to whisk until the mixture just bubbles, about 2 minutes. Do not let it brown. Slowly pour in the milk and whisk until there are no lumps.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and season with salt and pepper. Continue whisking until the sauce reaches the consistency of heavy cream and coats the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes.

Remove the sauce from the heat. Whisk in 1 1/2 cups of the cheddar cheese, all the Monterey jack and 1/2 cup of the Parmeasan. Whisk until the cheese is completely melted and the sauce is smooth. Pour the sauce over the pasta and gently toss. Transfer the pasta and sauce, using a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl, to the prepared casserole dish. Set aside.

In a small bowl, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter by microwaving on high for about 20 seconds. Add the breadcrumbs and remaining cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Toss well.

Spread the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the pasta. Place the dish on the oven's middle rack and broil for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the edges are bubbly and a crunchy crust forms on top. Cool briefly before serving.