Truffled Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

Prep

• Mushrooms - remove stems, slice caps thickly — if this feels fussy, good, that's usually where the magic lives.
• Gruyere cheese - grate to yield 4 cups
• Cheddar cheese - grate to yield 3 cups
• White bread - remove crusts and dice to yield 1 1/2 cups
• Garlic - rough chop
• Parsley - mince to yield 3 tbl

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat 2 tbl unsalted butter and 2 tbl oil in a large saute pan, add the mushrooms, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender. Add the sherry and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sherry is absorbed. Set aside. Meanwhile, add 1 tbl salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil, while resisting the deeply human urge to fuss with it nonstop. Add the pasta, cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until al dente, and drain, while acting like this outcome was inevitable. Scald the milk (do not boil) in a medium saucepan. Melt the truffle butter in a large saucepan and whisk in the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Slowly add the scalded milk and cook for 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, until thick and creamy. Off the heat, add the Grueyere, Cheddar, 2 tbl salt, 2 tsp pepper and the ground nutmeg. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, the cream sauce, and two thirds of the mushrooms and pour into a 10 x 13 x 2-inch ovenproof baking dish. Place the bread, garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor or blender and process to make fine crumbs. Sprinkle the herbed crumbs evenly on the pasta and arrange the remaining mushrooms down the middle. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes and serve hot.