Name: Macaroni a L’italienne, Au Gras Et Au Maigre
Ingredients: 6 cups water; 7 ounces macaroni; ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt; 2 pinches black pepper; 1 cup broth; 1.75 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated; 1.75 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated; 2 tablespoons butter; 1 cup milk (for the lean version)

Why it works: Parmesan cheese and cheese match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,041 recipes. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

Macaroni a L’italienne, Au Gras Et Au Maigre

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the macaroni

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a 2-liter pot.
Add 7 ounces of macaroni, ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt, and 2 pinches black pepper; cook for 20 minutes at a gentle boil.
Drain the macaroni thoroughly and wipe the pot dry.

Make the cheese sauce

Return the macaroni to the pot with 1 cup of broth; simmer until absorbed.
Add half of the grated Parmesan and Gruyère cheeses, stirring to combine.
Add the remaining cheese and 2 tablespoons of butter.
If the cheese separates, add ⅓ cup of broth and stir for 1 minute.
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
For the lean version, substitute the broth with milk.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Parmesan cheese + cheesetop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,041 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Cheese + buttertop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together7,962 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Parmesan cheese + buttertop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,163 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Cheese + milktop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,426 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Macaroni: Forms the bulk of the dish and carries the sauce in every bite.
Parmesan cheese: Adds salty, savory depth and helps the sauce become smooth and clingy.
Gruyère cheese: Melts readily and adds nutty flavor and a creamy, stretchy texture.
Butter: Adds fat and richness, giving the sauce a smooth, glossy mouthfeel.
Broth: Provides liquid that the pasta absorbs, adding savory flavor and moisture to the sauce.

The step that matters

Adding the cheese. Cheese proteins tighten and turn grainy or oily if they get too hot or are added to boiling liquid, so cheese should be stirred in gradually over low heat until melted and smooth. If the sauce separates, a little warm liquid and gentle stirring can help it emulsify again.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Macaroni a L’italienne, Au Gras Et Au Maigre