Yesterday I was talking about the food at the Olympic Village and mentioned that Evy Liebfarth, who competes in kayaking, says she also pack a box of Mac N Cheese. If she has a chance, I’d suggest to her that she ask for someone to cook up French Mac and Cheese. Here’s the recipe. It’s a bit more foo-foo than I like. For instance, bread crumbs on top. To me, bread on top of pasta is an overload of carbs that makes me have an insulin crash just thinking about it. Also, they use fancy cheeses like Gruyere and Cantal along with cream. So, it is a lot richer. That said maybe fix some for yourself while watching the games. Here’s the recipe.
Ingredients:
16 ounces small macaroni
1 clove garlic, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/4 cups crème fraîche (It’s basically European sour cream. You can substitute.)
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese, divided
2 cups grated Cantal cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
How to put it together:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Cook up some macaroni noodles.
- While the macaroni is boiling, rub the cut end of the garlic across the entire inner surface of a 3-quart baking dish.
- Brush the same surface with the melted butter.
- Pour the drained macaroni into the prepared baking dish.
- Stir the crème fraiche, 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheeses, salt, and pepper into the pasta.
- Sprinkle the bread crumbs and the remaining Gruyère and Cantal over the surface of the macaroni and cheese.
- Bake the casserole, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, until it is hot and bubbly throughout and turns light golden brown on top.
- Twirl your skinny mustache, if you have one, and then eat your French Mac N Cheese. You’re international now!
Cantal is a semi-firm cow’s milk cheese from France. It tastes mellow and nutty. If you can’t find it, substitute a mild cheddar instead.