One Fine Day: Movies and Special Macaroni and Cheese

What can be better on a snowy day than a good friend, fantastic films, and delicious food?  Nothing, as far as I can tell.  Last Thursday was a miserably snowy day, but I had spent the morning making a delicious macaroni and cheese with thyme, guyere, tellegio, and parmesan cheeses, topped with tomatoes and a New York deli styled rye and parmesan crust, so damning the weather, I headed to my dear friend Jane's. 

I was greeted upon arrival with a "gin gin" (gin, gingerale, and a splash of cherry juice), and we took to her cozy living room.  We cherished an afternoon of knitting, eating, sipping our gin-gins, and movies.  We watched one of my favorite films, "Strangers in Good Company".  It is a lovey film about a group of octagenarian women who get stranded in the Canadian Wilderness.  If you've never seen it, do your soul a favor and watch it.  We followed this with another of my favorites, a lovely film about food, family, and love--"Big Night".
Here's the recipe for the macaroni and cheese I made for our amazing day:

Serves 4

FOR PASTA

Coarse salt

6 ounces dried elbow macaroni

FOR BREAD CRUMBS

3 slices New York Deli Rye with onions and caraway seeds

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

FOR SAUCE AND CHEESE TOPPING

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1 ounce Italian fontina cheese, grated (1/4 cup)

1 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (1/4 cup)

3 ounces extra-sharp white-cheddar cheese, grated (1 cups), 1/3 cup reserved for topping

1 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (1/4 cup), 1/2 reserved for topping

1 ounce tellegio

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

4 oz. cherry tomatoes

Directions:  Cook macaroni in lots of heavily salted water until just under al dente.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and add the flour.  Cook this rue for one minute.  Add the milk and whisk.  Once thickened enough to cling to the back of a spoon, add in the cheeses, and spices.  Add the pasta to the cheese mixture. 

Make breadcrumbs of your rye bread.  Add the reserved cheeses, thyme leaves, and butter.  Put the macaroni into a buttered baking dish, top with tomatoes and breadcrumbs.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until bubbly and beautifully browned.