Good Housekeeping magazine used to have a section where the readers could write in and ask them to repost a recipe from a past issue that the reader enjoyed and perhaps had misplaced. This is one of those recipes, carefully clipped from the April 1993 issue of Good Housekeeping.
The lady who had written in spoke of being a registered nurse at the time the original recipe would have been posted in the magazine (between 1949 and 1953). She spoke of working at a rehabilitation center at the time and being friendly with one of her patients who was a polio victim.
She would spend her days of at the patients home with her and her husband, the nurse's husband joining them after work. She said that she always made Susan's Macaroni and Cheese for dinner. She had since moved away and lost the recipe and was writing in to get it.
Originally posted in the February 1948 issue, Susan's Macaroni and Cheese was a reader's favorite recipe. "Crisp, crunchy, golden brown on top - moist creamy and luscious inside."
After clipping the recipe from the 1993 magazine, it also became a favorite of my family. And no small wonder. It lived up to its reputation. It was lovely and creamy inside and golden brown and crispy on the outsides.
At 395 calories per serving, it is probably a bit lower in calories than many other mac and cheese recipes. I have taken the liberty today of cutting the recipe in half for the smaller family. If you want the amounts for a full sized recipe, just ask and I will be happy to oblige you!
True confessions here, I probably left mine in the oven for a tad bit longer than I should have. I got distracted on the day, so it is a bit darker than it normally would be.
I hope that doesn't put you off from trying it. It really is a lovely version of mac and cheese!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SUSAN'S MACARONI AND CHEESE
Very simple ingredients. Plain and simple. There is nothing fancy here. Just what you might expect from a 1940's recipe.
- 1 cup (115g) dry elbow macaroni
- 1 TBS minced onion
- 1 TBS butter
- 1/2 TBS plain all purpose flour
- pinch of salt
- pinch of dry mustard powder
- pinch ground white pepper
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
- 4 ounces (115g) processed cheese, grated, divided
- 1/2 cup (65g) fresh bread crumbs
- 3/4 TBS butter
For those of you who are visiting from the UK, it is perfectly acceptable to use the straight cut macaroni you have there. I could often find the elbow macaroni in the foreign/Greek section of my local ASDA when I lived there however.
Processed cheese is not 100% cheese. It is perhaps 50% cheese at best and has incredible melting properties. This is why it is used a lot by fast food restaurants for on their burgers and such. It melts like a dream without becoming oily or separating.
A popular brand in North America is Velveeta, which of course it not available in the UK, but if you can buy just plain orange burger slices, that is quite acceptable to use. I used to get a big block of them at Costco and that is what I used over there.
Just grate it or cut it into tiny bits. Actually I did not have a block on the day I made this and so I used Extra Cheddar Kraft Processed Cheese slices. They worked beautifully.
HOW TO MAKE SUSAN'S MACARONI AND CHEESE
Its really quite simple. Don't worry if the sauce seems a bit on the thinnish side. The macaroni will absorb it and you will be left with the perfect creamy rich dish you are expecting!
Prepare the macaroni to al dente as per the package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6.
Melt 1 TBS of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until just softened, but not colored. Whisk in the flour, salt, mustard powder and pepper. Cook for one minute. Slowly whisk in the milk. Cook, stirring, until smooth and bubbling around the edges.
Add about 3/4 of the cheese. Stir to melt the cheese. The sauce will be thinner than a regular cheese sauce.
Grease a 3 cup casserole dish. Put the macaroni into the dish. Pour the cheese sauce over top and using a fork or knife, toss the macaroni a bit to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over top.
Melt the butter for the bread crumb topping and toss together with the bread crumbs. Sprinkle these over top of the cheese.
Bake, uncovered in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown.
Even as overbaked as mine was, this was still one very lush and delicious dish of macaroni and cheese. I enjoyed it with some crusty bread, some sliced tomatoes and a mixed leaf salad on the side.
This was as a main. It also makes a fabulous dish to serve on the side of other things. My children always enjoyed this with either hot dogs, meatloaf, or fish fingers/sticks.
Some other vintage recipes here in the English Kitchen that you might enjoy sinking your teeth into are:
HERMIT COOKIES (SMALL BATCH) - A vintage New England recipe for a delicious cookie that is lightly spiced and filled with raisins and nuts. These are the kind of cookies your grandmother might have baked! I love these! Betcha can't eat just one!
POOR MAN'S CAKE - Also known as War Cake, this is a recipe that was very popular during the War years when rationing was in place. Using no eggs, it is a lovely moist and dense cake that is richly stuffed with plenty of raisins. Another old family favorite.
Susan's Macaroni and Cheese (small batch)
Yield: 2 main, or 3 sidesAuthor: Marie RaynerPrep time: 15 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 35 MinAn old Good Housekeeping recipe from between 1949 and 1953. Deliciously downsized for the smaller family. Can you ever have too many mac and cheese recipes? I think not!Ingredients
- 1 cup (115g) dry elbow macaroni
- 1 TBS minced onion
- 1 TBS butter
- 1/2 TBS plain all purpose flour
- pinch of salt
- pinch of dry mustard powder
- pinch ground white pepper
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
- 4 ounces (115g) processed cheese, grated, divided
- 1/2 cup (65g) fresh bread crumbs
- 3/4 TBS butter
Instructions
- Prepare the macaroni to al dente as per the package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6.
- Melt 1 TBS of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until just softened, but not colored. Whisk in the flour, salt, mustard powder and pepper. Cook for one minute. Slowly whisk in the milk. Cook, stirring, until smooth and bubbling around the edges.
- Add about 3/4 of the cheese. Stir to melt the cheese. The sauce will be thinner than a regular cheese sauce.
- Grease a 3 cup casserole dish. Put the macaroni into the dish. Pour the cheese sauce over top and using a fork or knife, toss the macaroni a bit to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over top.
- Melt the butter for the bread crumb topping and toss together with the bread crumbs. Sprinkle these over top of the cheese.
- Bake, uncovered in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown.
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