For best macaroni and cheese, choose your own adventure

I’m here as a macaroni and cheese lover, not a fighter. The title of the recipe here — “The Actual Best Macaroni and Cheese” — clearly indulges in hyperbole, for the actual best macaroni and cheese is, of course, made the way you like it most. The love of macaroni and cheese has led me to experiment with different kinds of recipes, from the easy three-ingredient type incorporating evaporated milk, to those with the inclusion of eggs for a more custardy situation, to the likes of Balthazar’s macaroni gratin (which, unexpectedly, convinced me that macaroni and cheese doesn’t need bacon).

Noodle consideration has occupied more of my time than it should; classic large elbow is classic for a reason and quite wholly pleasing, but penne has those external ridges for minute additional cheese-adhering pleasure and also a bit more chew.

The method here, involving a roux, is not the easiest, with a long stretch of hot and boring stirring while all the cheeses are added, but ultra-gooey, casserole-y greatness will be your reward. The customization of those cheeses is what might make this a favorite — choose your own adventure!

And while an all-cheddar macaroni and cheese is absolutely defensible, deploying a variety here creates a level of richness that

one single cheese, no matter how majestic, cannot attain. This macaroni is just the thing to put together when you find yourself with an excess of cheeses; conversely, if you make purchase of some bread and lovely cheeses for this macaroni, the leftovers make the world’s best grilled cheese.

So, the very best macaroni and cheese can be the one you make yourself — or, even

better, the one that someone who understands you makes for you. I got the idea here for putting a monogram cut-out of a piece of bread on top from a friend who made me a letter-B mac and cheese; he got his really good recipe from the now dearly departed vegetarian restaurant The Grit in Athens, Georgia. The bread design is also customizable: letters, numerals, stars or whatever.

Choosing your own cheeses is what can make this the perfect macaroni for you. Here, we have sharp cheddar, nutty Comté, melty-rich Fontina and Camembert for additional velvety texture and intense flavor.

BETHANY JEAN CLEMENT/THE SEATTLE TIMES PHOTOS Besides bread letters, you could put a toasty-buttery heart on top, for making macaroni and cheese can be an act of love.