The recipes and food served in the Automats formed the cornerstone of the Horn & Hardart legacy. It was consistently touted as the finest quality food in the world at the time. One of the favorite recipes was the Baked Macaroni and Cheese. Although the Horn & Hardart recipes were a closely kept secret for many years, they released the Mac & Cheese recipe in the 1960s in an advertisement for their retail shops. Here is the original recipe from the H&H archives...
Baked Macaroni & Cheese
1/4 lb elbow macaroni
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
dash white pepper
dash red pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp light cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup canned tomatoes, diced
1/2 tsp sugar
(Serves 4 to 6)
Cook macaroni according to directions on the package. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Melt butter in the top of a double boiler. Blend flour, salt, white and red pepper in gradually. When smooth, add milk and cheese, stirring constantly.
Cook for a few minutes until it thickens. Add cheese and continue to heat until it melts and the sauce looks smooth. Remove from heat.
Add cooked macaroni to the sauce. Add sugar to the tomatoes and add to the sauce. Pour mixture into a buttered baking dish and bake until the surface browns.