Spicy Mac and Cheese

Unfortunately, or fortunately, we are big fans of baked mac and cheese. Though we have always enjoyed the basic recipe (referenced below), we modified it a bit to make it a spicy mac and cheese. It gives a nice heat and a new dimension to a traditional American dish. We always use a bit "extra" cheese than what is put below in the recipe, so keep that in mind...

You can make things less spicy by substituting regular sharp cheddar cheese for the habanero cheese, or more spicy by adding some fresh chilis or hot pepper flakes.

The base for this recipe came from Epicurious, and originally from Gourmet (the link - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Macaroni-and-Cheese-11625)

Ingredients:
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1 pound elbow macaroni
2 cups coarsely grated extra-sharp Habanero Cheddar cheese (about 12 ounces)
1 cup coarsely grated swiss cheese
1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces)
1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter a 3- to 4-quart gratin dish or other shallow baking dish.

In a heavy saucepan melt 6 tablespoons butter over moderately low heat. Add flour and cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk in a stream, whisking, and bring to a boil, whisking. Add mustard, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste and simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 2 minutes.

In a kettle of salted boiling water cook macaroni until just al dente, about 7 minutes, and drain well. In a large bowl stir together macaroni, sauce, Cheddar, and 1 cup Parmesan and transfer to prepared dish.

In a small bowl stir together bread crumbs and remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and sprinkle evenly over macaroni. Cut remaining 1 tablespoon butter into bits and scatter over topping.

Bake macaroni in middle of oven 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.