Mac n’ cheese is one of those awesome comfort foods that I really crave sometimes, especially during the winter months. I made a big batch this week, and decided to step it up a little with some delicious French cheeses! In addition to cheddar (which is surprisingly hard to find in France) , I used emmental, gruyère, and comté… but you could use any of your favourite cheeses. So delicious, and so satisfying.

INGREDIENTS
makes one 9″x13″ pan of macaroni and cheese

325 g dry macaroni noodles
55 g salted butter
40 g flour
750 g milk
150 g strong cheddar, grated
100 g emmental, grated
100 g gruyère, grated
50 g comté, grated

for the crumb topping;
50 g panko crumbs or bread crumbs
70 g parmesan cheese, grated
25 g butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Cook the macaroni noodles according to the package instructions. Strain, stir in a little olive oil (so they won’t stick together), and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, and cook for another couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly pour in the milk while stirring, and continue cooking until thickened.

Remove the pot from the heat, add the cheese and stir until smooth. Add the cooked macaroni, and stir to combine.

Spread the mixture into a non-stick 9″x13″ pan. In a separate bowl, whisk together the panko or bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and melted butter until uniform. Spread the crumb mixture on top of the macaroni and press into place. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden on top and bubbling around the edges. Allow the pan to sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Enjoy!