Soho House Mac N Cheese Recipes

MACARONI & CHEESE (SOHO GRAND HOTEL, NYC)

Steps:

• Shred cheddar cheese in a food processor (yes, it's a lot). Place shredded cheese in refrigerator while making sauce.
• 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.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Bake at 400 F about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbly.
• Note: This will stay hot 30 - 45 minutes after removing from the oven.

MACARONI AND CHEESE SOHO GRAND

Steps:

• Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil over high heat; cook the pasta al dente (8-10 minutes); drain and place pasta in a large mixing bowl.
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, scald the milk (to scald milk means to bring it nearly to a boil and stir attentively).
• In a saute pan over med-high heat, melt the butter; stir/saute the onion for about 3 minutes or until soft but not colored.
• Lower heat to low, add in the flour and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes.
• Whisk in the scalded milk, 2 cups cheddar cheese, mustard, nutmeg, and Tabasco.
• Keeping mixture over low heat, simmer, whisking occasionally, until the cheese is melted and smooth.
• Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Pour mixture over pasta and stir gently to combine.
• Spoon macaroni/cheese mixture into a lightly buttered 2-quart casserole dish; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheddar and the Parmesan cheese.
• Bake on the middle shelf in preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until bubbling and browned on top.
• Serve immediately.

THE BEST BAKED MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just slightly softened, about 6 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and rinse under cold water.
• Meanwhile, remove the crusts from the bread and cut into 1-inch cubes. Pulse in the food processor until the bread breaks into bean-sized pieces.
• Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, until toasted, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
• Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, mustard powder and cayenne. Cook, whisking constantly, until smooth and slightly golden, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking occasionally, until the sauce begins to boil and thicken, about 7 minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in the fontina, Gruyere and all but 1 1/2 cups of the Cheddar until fully melted. Stir in the pasta, adding the reserved pasta water as needed to make a creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
• Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Brush a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with the melted butter. Spread the pasta mixture in the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining Cheddar evenly over the pasta, then scatter the toasted breadcrumbs on top. Bake until heated through and just bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

OLD-FASHIONED MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook macaroni in boiling water until almost tender; drain. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, melt butter. Stir in the flour, salt, mustard, pepper and pepper sauce until smooth. Cook for 1 minute or until bubbly. Stir in the macaroni, milk and 4 cups cheese. , Transfer to an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover; sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.