There's no such thing as having too many recipes for mac and cheese, and this one is likely different from others you've tried before. The French feel brings a certain something to this humble comfort food dish—heightening it ever so much with the addition of crème fraîche, along with Gruyère and Cantal cheeses.

This French macaroni and cheese recipe tastes velvety smooth, rich, and just a touch sophisticated; it's nothing at all like those little blue boxes of dry, salty mix sold in markets and convenience stores. It's also different from casserole-type mac and cheeses. This is fancy mac and cheese.

French mac and cheese takes only 40 minutes to prepare, much less than a quarter of which is spent actively cooking. Use this French-style mac and cheese as an unexpected side dish on a dinner menu or as the focal point of a winter-themed mountain lodge party.