When a fine cheese company produces its own mac and cheese, it pays to notice. Beecher’s Handmade Cheese and Murray’s Cheese are two of them. Now there’s Cabot Cheese, a Vermont-based cooperative of 800 farm families in the Northeast, known especially for its Cheddars. And it’s the aged Cheddar (dried and powdered) that’s included in the simple boxed mac and cheese made with organic shell pasta. Just add a little milk (they suggest low-fat but I used whole) and optional butter and it’s ready, creamy and flavorful, in about 20 minutes. The Seriously Sharp is just cheese, Bacon Cheddar has a smoky flavor but no visible meat and none among the ingredients, and Pepper Jack delivers some spice.
Cabot Mac and Cheese, $4.95 for a 6.25-ounce box (two to three servings), dakinfarm.com.
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