MO'C and cheese

Serves 2 as a side dish

The initials MO are for Mandarin Oriental, the new Back Bay hotel, where this dish is offered at the restaurant Asana. Emmental is a hard yellow cheese with a distinctive, slightly nutty, flavor. Executive chef Nicolas Boutin created this simple dish, which can be run under a salamander to brown the top, or garnished with lobster or fresh white or black truffles in season.

	Salt and white pepper, to taste
1	cup macaroni
1	cup creme fraiche
1	cup grated Emmental

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and stir several times as the water returns to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until the pasta is not quite tender; it will cook more later. Drain the pasta into a colander.

2. In the same saucepan, bring the creme fraiche to a boil. Add the cheese and stir until it melts. Add the macaroni, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring gently, until the pasta is cooked through. Adapted from Asana restaurant