Macaroni and Cheese

If I could think of one thing that I looked forward to most as a kid, I would say this Macaroni and Cheese. My mom would make it in huge batches and freeze whatever was leftover - we would feast on it's deliciousness for months!

Ingredients:

1 cup elbow macaroni
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 small shallot, minced
1 Tbs. all purpose flour
1/2 cup hot chicken stock
1/2 cup hot cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
dash of hot red pepper sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees. Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water until just tender, about 8 minutes. Rinse under cold running water and drain. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking together.

Melt 2 Tbs. of the butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Add the shallot; cook for 5 minutes. Stir in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes longer. Whisk in the stock and cream. Heat to boiling, boil for 1 minute and remove from heat. Whisk in the salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. When the sauce has stopped bubbling, whisk in the egg. Stir in the cheese and macaroni. Mix well and transfer to a greased baking dish.

Melt the remaining 1 Tbs. butter in a small skillet. When it foams, stir in the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the macaroni and cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.