Truffled Comté Mac with Buttery Brioche Crumb

⏱ 55 min · Serves 4

Nutty aged Comté melted into a silky béchamel, laced with truffle and finished under a golden lid of buttered brioche crumbs. It's the grown-up version of the mac and cheese you loved as a kid — deep, savoury and shamelessly rich.

Per serving: 1015 kcal · 42.0g protein · 80.0g carbs · 58.0g fat

Ingredients

• 300g macaroni or cavatappi
• 50g unsalted butter, plus 30g for the crumb
• 40g plain flour
• 600ml whole milk, warmed
• 100ml double cream
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 200g Comté (aged 12–18 months), coarsely grated
• 60g Gruyère, grated
• 30g Parmesan, finely grated
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp white truffle oil (or 2 tsp truffle paste)
• 10g fresh black truffle, shaved (optional)
• 100g brioche, torn into rough crumbs (2–3 slices, slightly stale)
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• 1 tbsp finely chopped chives
• Sea salt and white pepper

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan. Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil.
2. Make the crumb: melt 30g butter in a frying pan, add the grated garlic and the torn brioche. Toss over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until just starting to colour, then tip onto a plate to stop cooking. Stir through half the chives and a pinch of salt.
3. Cook the pasta 2 minutes short of the packet time — it will finish in the oven. Drain, reserving a mugful of pasta water.
4. Melt 50g butter in a heavy pan, whisk in the flour and cook the roux for 2 minutes without colouring. Gradually whisk in the warm milk, then the cream. Add the bay leaf and simmer gently, whisking, for 5–6 minutes until it thickly coats a spoon.
5. Remove the bay leaf. Off the heat, stir in the Comté, Gruyère and two-thirds of the Parmesan a handful at a time until glossy. Add the Dijon, nutmeg, truffle oil, salt and white pepper. Do not boil once the cheese is in.
6. Fold the pasta through the sauce, loosening with a splash of pasta water so it flows — it should look slightly too saucy. Taste and adjust seasoning.
7. Tip into a buttered baking dish, scatter over the remaining Parmesan, then the brioche crumb. Bake 18–20 minutes until bubbling at the edges and deeply golden.
8. Rest 5 minutes, then shave over fresh truffle if using and finish with the remaining chives. Serve with a sharply dressed green salad.