Macaroni Cheese

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A great storecupboard standby, this well-known dish is traditionally made with a flour-thickened cheese sauce. In this modern version, macaroni is combined with crème fraîche and stock and as the pasta cooks it soaks up the liquid to create a delicious sauce.

Serves 1

150 ml/¼ pint/2/3 cup crème fraîche
200 ml/7 fl oz/scant 1 cup boiling vegetable stock
50 g/2 oz easy-cook macaroni
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Put the crème fraîche in the ceramic cooking pot, then whisk in the stock a little at a time. Switch on the slow cooker to High.
2. Add the macaroni, season with salt and pepper and give the mixture a stir. Cover with the lid and cook for ¾-1 hour or until the pasta is cooked and the sauce is thick and creamy.
3. Spoon the pasta and sauce on to a warm serving plate or bowl and serve straight away sprinkled with grated Cheddar or Parmesan. Serve with a mixed green salad.

Cook's tips
It's important to use full-fat crème fraîche for this recipe as low- and half-fat versions tend to separate when heated. If you want to reduce the amount of fat a little, use 100 ml/3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup of crème fraîche and 250 ml/8 fl oz/1 cup of stock, then serve with just a small amount of grated cheese.
Vary the recipe by adding a few snipped sun-dried tomatoes to the stock (you'll need to add an extra spoonful of stock as these soak up liquid), or stir in some thawed frozen peas and sweetcorn or fresh or frozen chopped herbs such as parsley or coriander (cilantro) towards the end of cooking.

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