Macaroni & Cheese (Soho Grand Hotel, Nyc)

This recipe was shared by a co-worker who found it in a newspaper. It was touted to be the recipe for the famous Macaroni and Cheese served at the Soho Grand Hotel in New York City. There is another recipe posted on this site that also claims to be the Soho Grand's recipe, but it's different. I've never been to the Soho Grand, so I can't say if either of them are the right one, but I can tell you that this recipe is absolutely delicious. One of the best mac and cheese recipes I've tasted to date.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 lbs  vermont white cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1⁄4 cup  grated parmesan cheese
• 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1⁄2 cups  diced onions
• 1⁄2 cup flour
• 3  cups  whole milk
• 2  tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1  dash nutmeg
•  salt
•  pepper
• 12  ounces cavatappi pasta (or small tube pasta)

Directions

1. Shred cheddar cheese in a food processor (yes, it's a lot). Place shredded cheese in refrigerator while making sauce.
2. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until the al dente stage (about 10 minutes) and drain. Tip: don't overcook. The pasta will bake later on and overcooking at this stage will make it mushy in the final dish.
3. Preheat oven to 400°F.
4. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until they are translucent but not brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour until the mixture is smooth.
5. Gradually add milk to the flour/butter mixture, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and cook, stirring constantly until sauce thickens, about 5 more minutes, Turn off heat, and add two very large hands full of the shredded cheddar cheese to the mixture and stir until the cheese has melted into the sauce.
6. Combine the cooked pasta and the cheese sauce and pour into a greased 4 quart baking dish. Sprinkle 1/2 the Parmesan cheese over the top, then sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheddar, then the rest of the Parmesan cheese.
7. Bake at 400 F about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbly.
8. Note: This will stay hot 30 - 45 minutes after removing from the oven.