Baked 4-Cheese Pasta

Bread crumb topping:
3-4 slices white sandwich bread torn into quarters
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper

Pulse bread in food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer to small bowl, stir in other ingredients. Set aside.

Pasta and cheese:
4 oz. Italian Fontina cheese, shredded
3 oz. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/2 c. grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb. penne pasta
1 Tbsp. plus 1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. butter
1 tsp. flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Combine cheeses in large bowl; set aside. Add pasta and 1 Tbsp. salt to boiling water, stir to separate pasta. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat; whisk flour into butter until no lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in cream, increasing heat to medium, and bring to boil, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 1 minute to ensure that flour cooks. Stir in remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper; cover cream mixture to keep hot and set aside. When pasta is very al dente (when bitten into, pasta should be opaque and slightly underdone at very center), drain about 5 seconds, leaving pasta slightly wet. Add pasta to bowl with cheeses; immediately pour cream mixture over, then cover bowl with foil or large plate and let stand 3 minutes. Uncover bowl and stir with rubber spatula, scraping bottom of bowl, until cheeses are melted and mixture is thoroughly combined. Transfer pasta to 9x13 in. baking dish, then sprinkle evenly with reserved bread crumbs, pressing down lightly. Bake until topping is golden brown, about 7 minutes. Serve immediately.