The 23rd Street Brewery, 3512 Clinton Parkway, serves up a local favorite: Max’s Mac and Cheese, formerly called Mama’s Mac and Cheese. Panko breadcrumbs are added to the creamy, cheesy concoction and broiled before serving.

The 23rd Street Brewery, 3512 Clinton Parkway, serves up a local favorite: Max’s Mac and Cheese, formerly called Mama’s Mac and Cheese. Panko breadcrumbs are added to the creamy, cheesy concoction and broiled before serving.

Macaroni and cheese is a family favorite in Diane Stoddard’s house.

“I make it, but it’s nothing fancy,” she says. “I make the box, and I make it from scratch. We have great family recipes, but the mac and cheese at 23rd Street Brewery is just a little bit different.”

Stoddard, of Lawrence, contacted the Journal-World to add the restaurant’s cheesy pasta recipe to her comfort food repertoire this winter.

“It’s really creamy, and there are a lot of different types of cheeses in it. And, when they serve the adult portion, they put some kind of topping on it, which makes it really good,” she says.

There are five cheeses in the dish and the topping is Panko bread crumbs, but the secret, according to 23rd Street Brewery kitchen manager Dustin Borland, is in the cream.

“We use Iwig Family Dairy Cream, which makes a difference,” he says. “It’s certainly not a healthy dish, but it’s warm and comforting.”

Stoddard says, as with many comfort foods, “healthy” isn’t the point.

“I would be scared to see the calorie count,” she says. “I don’t like to think about that when I’m eating macaroni and cheese. It sort of spoils the whole thing.”

Max’s Mac and Cheese

Bring 2 1/2 cups heavy cream almost to a simmer (be careful not to boil).

Add:

1 cup shredded Parmesan,

2 cups mozzarella/provolone mix

2 cups shredded cheddar

1 cup shredded Pepperjack cheese

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder,

1 tablespoon dry ground mustard,

Salt and pepper to taste.

Add 6 ounces medium pasta, cooked al dente (Borland uses shells).

Transfer to oven-proof baking dish, top with Panko bread crumbs and more cheddar, then broil on low setting for five minutes, or just until it browns.

Alternate method: Allow cream, cheese and spices to melt and blend in a slow cooker. Add pasta, transfer to baking dish, add bread crumb topping and broil, per instructions.