Cheese makes me very happy. Even when I say the very word itself, a smile sneaks its way onto my face.Coagulated milk, though it sounds less than appetizing, is actually one of the most diverse food products in the world, with hundreds of different types made worldwide. The unrefined (in the cultural sense) American cheese-typically a cheddar by-product-the pseudo-classy Brie cheeses, and the hole-y and sliced Emmental (aka, Swiss cheese) are three that at least some college students are familiar with. (Thanks to Einstein's Bagel Bros., Brandeisians also know about Asiago.)

The two cheesy foods collegians know best would have to be pizza and macaroni and cheese-whether it's EZ Mac, the non-microwavable Kraft kind or a more "natural" variant like Annie's, we eat lots of it. And in a time crunch, they could taste worse. But, when you have an hour or so in which to prepare dinner, why not make the real thing?

But before you do, here's a super-easy fancy appetizer: Cut the top off a large loaf of sourdough bread, scoop out the inside and toast it. Rub the bread with a minced clove of garlic and some olive oil. Then, put in as much Brie as can fit, anywhere between half a pound and one pound-you can cut it up to fill more space.

Then stick the bread into an oven set at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Check the top layer of the Brie to see when it's ready. It should be clearly melted and bubbly. Break up the removed insides of the loaf, and dip it into the cheese, Oe la fondue. Once that's all used up, eat the bread bowl itself.

Preparing the main course is only slightly more difficult-unless you don't know how to use a grater. (They sell pre-grated cheese, so I guess you could just cheat and use that to begin with.) Start out by boiling water, and then add in the macaroni for about 10 minutes. Remember to stir occasionally so the noodles don't stick to the pot. While that's going on, get out a saucepan and saut the minced half-onion in one of the tablespoons of butter. When that's finished, set it aside.

Put into the saucepan two tablespoons of butter. Once that's mostly melted, add the flour. Stir (or whisk, if you have one) that around for about three minutes, and then gradually add the cream and milk, letting it simmer for 15 minutes. Be sure to stir it occasionally, or this weird filmy foam will build up. While the sauce is simmering, grate enough of the Cheddar and Monterey Jack to total two cups. Mix up the cheeses. After the 15 minutes, add in 1 and 1/2 cups of the cheese gratings, as well as the onion. Stir until uniform.

Meanwhile, the pasta should have finishedcooking. Pour out the water and leave the noodles in the pot. Once the sauce is done, pour it into the pasta pot, and then stir until it's all evenly coated. Put the macaroni and cheese into a baking dish.

Back at the saucepan, put in the last tablespoon of butter, and coat the breadcrumbs. Layer the remaining Cheddar/Monterey Jack mix, Parmigiano-Reggiano and breadcrumbs on top of the macaroni. Bake it for half an hour at 350 degrees.

Eat, enjoy and wish that processed Kraft powder was that good.




"Real" Macaroni and Cheese:
Macaroni, enough for 6-8 people
1/2 white onion, minced
2 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup white Cheddar, grated
1 cup Monterey Jack, grated
4 tablespoons butter, separated

1/2 cup white breadcrumbs

1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated




Baked Brie Appetizer:
1 loaf sourdough or French bread
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 to 1 and 1/2 lb. Brie (depending on size of bread loaf)