Thomas Keller’s mac & cheese recipe has a rich and flavorful bechamel (mornay) that’s a bit more than the everyday – I do adjust the flavorings to my taste (less cloves, add garlic in addition to onion, see the linked threads below).
A truffled mac & cheese is also over the top, especially with mixed mushrooms like Ina’s.
For vodka sauce, I mostly start with Marcella’s tomato sauce but puree the onion in, and then adjust with vodka and cream, but the serious eats vodka is good, as is Rachael Ray’s (though I don’t like chicken stock or basil in my vodka sauce and don’t use them). I do add a pinch of red chilli flakes, and use whatever creamy dairy I have on hand – cream, sour cream, creme fraiche, mascarpone, etc.
And if you want to make it easy and start with jarred, I like Rao’s, and Carbone, though even TJ’s vodka sauce is a good starting point (though TJ’s is very chunky and needs to be pureed first).
I like to soak the pasta in water till it hydrates, and then put straight into sauce (no boiling first) – as described here.
Coincidentally made some mezzi rigatoni in vodka sauce myself tonight!
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