French-Style Mac ‘n Cheese with Peas
Who doesn’t love a creamy, melty and comforting mac n’ cheese? But have you ever had a French-Style Mac n’ Cheese before? If not, you’re in for a treat! The foundation of this creamy casserole is a velvety white Béchamel sauce spiked with nutmeg to which we add a hefty amount of crème fraiche for richness and tang, and then Gruyère cheese for sweet, nutty flavors and great cheesy strings. This is a luscious and comforting recipe that’s a staple of French Mountain cooking. So what make its “French-Style”? In…
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 40 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 250g elbow macaroni pasta
- 3 cups (750ml) milk (2% or whole)
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp (45g) butter (salted or unsalted)
- 1/3 cup (40g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup ( about 200g) Crème fraiche
- 2/3 cup (75g) grated Gruyère Cheese
- 1 cup (150g) frozen peas
- 2-3 tbsp bread crumbs
Instructions
- 1
Pre-heat your oven at 350°F (180°C) with a rack in the middle.
- 2
Step 1 - Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add the macaroni and cook to al dente (about 2 minutes less than the box indicates the cooking time to be).
- 3
Step 2 - While the pasta cooks, pour the milk in a saucepan with salt, grated nutmeg and black pepper. Heat up the saucepan over medium heat to bring to a slow simmer. Watch it closely – milk can boil up quickly.
- 4
As soon as the milk simmers, drain the pasta and add them to the boiling milk along with the frozen peas. Cook for 2 minutes, and drain the pasta and peas over a bowl to reserve the milk.
- 5
Step 3 - Melt butter in an oven-safe pan over medium heat. When the butter is sizzling, mix in the flour with a wooden spoon. Cook for 2-3 minutes, mixing continuously until you get a dry paste (roux). Pour in the warm milk slowly and mix with a whisk until reaching a creamy consistency. Whisk in the crème fraiche and about 2/3 of the grated cheese. Gently fold in the pasta and peas until evenly coated. Cover with the rest of the grated cheese and the breadcrumbs.
- 6
Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden on top. Serve hot.