One afternoon in the late 1990s, I was watching “Oprah” when Patti LaBelle waltzed onto the kitchen stage for a segment I’ll never forget. To promote her new book, “LaBelle Cuisine,” she was making a recipe she called Over-the-Rainbow Macaroni and Cheese. Oprah introduced the segment by reading a story from the book about the time in the 1960s, in London, when British band Bluesology played back up to Patti LaBelle & The Blue Belles. The piano player, Reggie Dwight — now better known as Elton John — caught LaBelle’s attention: “He played like no other white boy I’ve ever heard,” LaBelle wrote.
“What happened is he was forced into eating my food, because he didn’t have any money to buy food, because we played cards and I won all of his money. … So I said, ‘Boo, since I took your money, I might as well feed you. Come to my place and I’ll fix dinner for you and the band,’” LaBelle explained. One of the dishes she made was this macaroni and cheese, which contains five types of cheese, including Velveeta. Like a lot of Oprah’s in-studio audience that day, I was mesmerized by LaBelle’s style and verve in the kitchen, and I couldn’t wait to make the recipe. As promised, it sent me over the rainbow.
For various reasons, including one year when I hosted a friend who had an egg allergy, I’ve adapted it slightly from LaBelle’s original recipe. I swapped a few sharper cheeses for LaBelle’s blend; feel free to use your favorite types, but don’t skimp on the Velveeta. In this adaptation, a light roux forms a cream sauce with the half-and-half, giving the cheese something to melt into as it bakes in the oven. This also makes it easier to prepare the macaroni and cheese in advance. If you’re making it a day or two before, refrigerate it unbaked, until you’re ready to serve it, and then bake it in a 350-degree oven for at least 20 minutes, or until it’s hot and bubbling.
