Fontina & Parmesan Mac and Cheese

There's something amazingly special about creamy, rich, melty, cheese. The kind that makes you smile upon entering your mouth, the kind that you dream about when you think about macaroni and cheese. The marriage between cheese {and not just any kind of cheese} and noodles in this dish is heaven. I am known as a macaroni and cheese freak but this recipe puts my love for this comfort-food-beauty on a whole new level. And not to mention this does not come from a box, there is no velveeta block involved...and it is not waste line conscious. Relish in the goodness of cheese my little foodies :) This recipe is adapted from my own macaroni and cheese trial-and-error and Annie's Eat's inspiration with Fontina cheese.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1  lb cavatappi pasta, shell or 1  lb  tubular pasta
• 4 -5  tablespoons butter
• 1 1⁄2 cups heavy cream
• 1  cup  grated domestic fontina
• 3⁄4 cup  grated parmesan cheese, divided
•  garlic salt (to taste)
•  pepper (to taste)
•  Emeril's Original Essence (to taste)
•  grated nutmeg (to taste)
• 1  teaspoon  chopped parsley
• 3⁄4 cup panko breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to broil (high or low, depending on your oven intensity). Heat a large pot of water until boiling, add salt to boiling water until it's "salty like the sea". Cook the pasta till al dente, and drain.
2. Melt 4-5 tablespoons of butter over medium low heat until melted and add heavy cream. Warm cream until heated through, do not boil the cream. Add the spices and seasonings to taste, but remember to not over salt as the parmesan cheese is slightly salted. Remove from heat and all of the fontina cheese and 1/2 cup parmesan, stir until combined.
3. Pour the cheese sauce into the pasta and mix until well combined. Melt 1-2 tablespoons of butter and mix with Panko, remaining Parmesan cheese, parsley, and a pinch of garlic salt if you'd like.
4. Transfer pasta and cheese mixture to a baking dish, top with Panko mixture and broil until bubbly and toasty on top. Serve immediately.