Melt with you

Macaroni and cheese is more than just a box of noodles with cheese-flavored powder. At various eateries in town, one can order different takes on the classic, like bacon mac-and-cheese plates and fried mac-and-cheese balls. Now, thanks in part to local cookbook author (and, full disclosure, current SN&R food critic) Garrett McCord, comfort-food aficionados can create outside-the-box mac ’n’ cheese. McCord’s new book, Melt: The Art of Macaroni and Cheese, is co-authored by Stephanie Stiavetti and features imaginative recipes based on the gooey noodle dish. It starts off with a primer on choosing (and making) cheese and preparing pasta. Recipes include squid-ink pasta with marinated perlini mozzarella, and chocolate pasta with bucherondin, hazelnuts and cherries. Published by Little, Brown and Company, it’ll be available in bookstores for $30 on Tuesday, October 22. Events throughout October and November coincide with its release; visit www.meltmacaroni.com for details.