Cmac's Gourmet Mac & Cheese almost from scratch

I decided to taste test my home made Gouda at day 20 instead of waiting till day 25  and it was amazing. The Gouda was a bit more curdy like cheddar (I think from not pressing it enough) and slightly saltier than normal Gouda, but it still knocked my socks off. As I said in the past I started making the Gouda for a trial run of the upcoming Mac & Cheese from scratch challenge some time next year, so I made Mac & Cheese almost from scratch with the cheese. This is a culmination of a few other recipes I found with some of my own special additions. My wife gave it two thumbs up, and you  could call her quite a Mac & Cheese Connoisseur so I would definitely call this a passable recipe. As with most of my recipes the ingredients are just a guideline you can substitute and play around as you like, after all this is the Test Kitchen. If you made any successful changes to the recipe or just want to share your experience comments are welcomed and appreciated. Now on to the Recipe..

What you need:

1/2 stick of unsalted butter + enough for coating casserole dish

1 medium garlic clove crushed

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne

1/2 pound Gouda (or cheese of preference) around 2 cups shredded

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 pound macaroni (or pasta of choice)

2 cups semi fresh sour dough bread crumbs (or any kind of bread crumbs)

2 cups vegetarian chicken stock

The Process:

Bring a pot of water to boil and cook your pasta until just al dente as per package directions.
Heat butter in a 4 quart heavy pot over medium heat until foam subsides, then add crushed garlic and cook, while stirring for 1 minute (make sure the garlic doesn’t stick together).
Add flour, whisking for 1 minute, then add the whole milk, and chicken stock, continue whisking and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer,  whisking occasionally until sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and whisk in the buttermilk, salt, pepper, cayenne, 1 cup of Gouda, and 1/4 cup of Parmesan.
Once pasta is cooked drain and return to the pot you cooked it in, then pour in your sauce and mix well.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Now butter a casserole dish big enough to hold all the mac & cheese, or if you’d like you can use individual gratin dishes. Fill the dishes to about 1/2 inch from the top of the chosen baking dishes.
In a medium bowl toss together your bread crumbs, left over Gouda, and Parmesan then evenly spread over your mac & cheese mix.
Bake on the middle oven rack for 15-25 minutes until the cheese begins to bubble up and the top begins to brown.
Let cool on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes and serve.

As for the sour dough bread crumbs I used a loaf of sourdough bread I had made a few days earlier that was at the end of freshness. I cut about 6 1/8 inch thick slices, lightly toasted, allowed to cool, then processed in my mini food processor until a semi fine crumb was achieved.