Automat Mac n Cheese

A while back I was working for a cultural institution whose summer exhibit featured, among other things, the history of the Automat. The Automat is one of those things that makes you want to transport yourself back to 1925 so you can have a cup of coffee and a piece of pie and experience the place in all its chrome glory. Delicious food could be had behind little glass doors if only you had the proper number of nickles.

As close as I could get to 1925 was walking around the exhibit, where visitors could take home printed notecards with recipes from the original Horn and Hardart automat restaurant. (The recipes were actually taken from a 1950s newspaper advertisement for the Horn and Hardart brand frozen foods line - the idea was that you COULD make these dishes at home -- here's the recipe -- but why would you, when our frozen foods are so delicious? Thanks to the ad, we have a reasonable guess as to how to make original automat foods like baked beans and creamed spinach, albeit scaled down for the home cook.)

We decided to try one and chose the macaroni and cheese. Thanks to a friend in Vermont who brought smoked cheddar to us, this was probably one of the best mac 'n cheeses ever. I quite like the bits of tomato, too, which add a nice sweetness.

Baked macaroni and cheese from Horn & Hardart 

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

Cook macaroni according to directions on the package. Preheat oven to 400 deg.

Melt butter in the top of a double boiler. Blend flour, salt, and white and red pepper in gradually. When smooth, add milk and cream, 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 tomatoes and add to the sauce.

Pour mixture into a buttered baking dish and bake until the surface browns. Serves 2-4