Ingredients :

• Coquillettes (Small Macaroni) — The shape really matters. The small curve of the coquillette holds the creamy mixture inside — penne or rigatoni don’t give the same result. 400 g for 4 people is the right proportion for the amount of mixture in this recipe.
• Grated Comté — Get a Comté aged at least 12 months, not the young vacuum-packed kind that melts into tasteless rubber. The aged one has that nutty, cellar aroma. Grate it yourself if you can — bagged Comté is often too fine and too dry to brown properly.
• Turkey Ham — We use turkey ham instead of classic ham, in thick slices rather than thin ones. Thick cubes resist the heat of the oven and maintain a real chew. Cut them into cubes of about 1 cm — neither too small so they disappear, nor too big so they unbalance the bites.
• Thick Crème Fraîche — Thick, not liquid. Liquid cream makes the mixture too runny and the gratin won’t hold its shape. Three tablespoons are enough — the eggs already do the binding work, the cream is only there for creaminess.