Horn & Hardart Macaroni & Cheese
Submitted by colleenbryan
Horn & Hardart macaroni and cheese recreates the iconic Automat recipe: sharp cheddar bechamel with a splash of chopped tomato and a pinch of sugar, baked until the top bubbles brown. A vintage American classic.
YIELD
2 servingsPREP
5 minCOOK
40 minREADY
45 minThis is the legendary macaroni and cheese from Horn & Hardart, the Automat chain that fed New York and Philadelphia through most of the 20th century. The recipe survived decades in kitchens because it’s that good, and the secret is smaller than you’d expect: chopped canned tomato and a pinch of sugar stirred into the cheese sauce.
That little tomato-and-sugar combo rounds out the sharpness of the cheddar, cutting through all that dairy richness with just enough brightness to keep you coming back for another forkful. Most home cooks skip the step because they’ve never heard of it, but it’s the move that made Horn & Hardart’s mac stand apart from every other version.
The bechamel gets built slow and careful, stirring the shredded cheese in a quarter cup at a time to keep the sauce glossy instead of grainy.
Kitchen Tips
- Shred your own cheese from a block. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking starch that leaves the sauce grainy.
- Add the cheese off the heat a quarter cup at a time. Dumping it in melts unevenly and breaks the sauce.
- Don’t skip the tomato or sugar. That’s the whole point of the Horn & Hardart version.
- Undercook the macaroni by a minute. It finishes in the oven, and over-boiled pasta turns to mush in the bake.
Variations
- Top with buttered bread crumbs before baking for added crunch.
- Stir a teaspoon of Dijon mustard into the sauce for a sharper, more complex flavor.
- Use a mix of sharp cheddar and Gruyere for extra nuttiness without losing the classic profile.
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare oven to 400℉ (200℃).
Combine milk and cream in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over moderate heat.
While the milk warms, heat the butter in another saucepan over low heat for 1 minute until foaming.
Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.
Pour the hot milk into the butter--flour mixture and cook, stirring with a wire whisk or wooden spoon for a few minutes, until thickened.
Add the cheese to the white sauce, about ¼ cup at a time, stirring, until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.
Add the cayenne, salt and white pepper to taste.
Stir the tomatoes and sugar into the cheese sauce.
Combine the cooked macaroni with the sauce, and pour into a buttered 1½ quart baking dish .
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is nicely browned.
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