On the way home from work on Friday night I had a craving for macaroni and cheese.  

With a little truffle oil, thank you very much.

It's a high falutin' dish but I decided to use my favorite cast iron skillet.

My friend said "I've never seen macaroni and cheese in a cast iron skillet."

Brilliant said I.  I made everything in one pan except boiling the penne pasta.

My recipe is below which can be reproduced in any good cast iron skillet or any skillet that suits your fancy, and with or without the truffle oil.

My cast iron happened to belong to my great-grandmother - that is not reproducible.

8 oz. penne pasta, al dente

1/2 onion, small dice

2-3 garlic cloves, finely diced

3 tablespoons butter, divided

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

2 cups half & half

1/2 cup cream

2 1/2 cups shredded cheese, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons truffle oil, divided

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a cast iron skillet and saute onion until soft and translucent.  Add garlic and saute 1-2 minutes more until garlic is fragrant.

Add 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet with the onions and the garlic.  When melted, add 1 1/2 tablespoons flour.  Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.  

Add half & half, cream, and bay leaf.

Softly simmer until sauce thickens.  Remove bay leaf and add 2 cups of shredded cheese, 1 cup at a time stirring until melted.  Stir in 1/8 teaspoon white pepper and 1 1/2 teaspoons truffle oil.

Add penne pasta.  Stir until pasta is coated with the cheese sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees, 15-20 minutes or until bubbly.

When it comes out of the oven, sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese on top and drizzle with an additional 1/2 teaspoon truffle oil.