Macaroni & Cheese (Soho Grand Hotel, Nyc)

Submitted by PanNan

"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: 45mins
• Ingredients: 11
• 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.

Reviews

[ForeverMama]

This recipe was well enjoyed by my family and I. I must admit that I spaced out and added the full measure of cheese to the milk sauce instead of adding half and layering the cheese over macaroni prior to placing it into the oven, therefore I didn’t have cheese to sprinkle over the top either. Though I made this error, it was still good. I added a bit of onion powder and a touch of garlic powder, black and white pepper to pump up flavors. We all enjoyed it as a side to our hot dogs. Thank you PanNan for sharing. Made it for CQ3 – New York, 2016.

 

[diner524]

Wonderful Mac and Cheese!! I made this, although scaled back as it was just me, and maybe a little less cheese, (can't believe I did that lol) as written!! I noticed that after adding most of the cheese to the sauce, it was very cheesy and that didn't even include the cheeses on top. This is the first time using white cheddar and it was very good. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Made for CQ 2016.

 

[Shannon Cooks]

I love trying out new mac and cheese recipes. This one was really good. Best to bake this in a shallow pan so that each portion has the right amount of baked cheese on top. Next time I make this I will halve the recipe, the leftovers were a little too dry the next day. Still, quite tasty. Thanks for posting.

 

[Marcie H]

This was a big hit at a family gathering. Just one serving left after the party was over. Even the kids, who only love the box kind, had seconds of this one! Thanks for the great recipe.

 

[hot potato]

WOOOOWWW! This was a major hit! Other than leaving out the nutmeg I followed this recipe completely, it turned out GREAT! Thank you so much for posting!