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Lobster Macaroni and Cheese
Serves 4 as a main dish or 6-8 as a side
I should forewarn you that this dish is not figure friendly, it is decadent, and it is addicting. Proceed with caution! For the lobster meat, I buy 1-2 tails depending on how big they are. Two medium sized ones should give you about 3/4 cup of meat. I place them in a saucepan over simmering water, cover with a lid and steam for about 7 minutes. Also, if you can’t find Gruyere, you can substitute with Fontina or another semi-hard nutty kind of cheese. Trader Joe’s always has an abundant supply of cheeses to choose from. You can serve this as a side dish or as a sinful main dish with a salad and some bread.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. Cavatappi or elbow pasta, cooked according to package instructions and drained
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 shallots, minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup dry sherry, brandy, or cognac
- 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 heaping teaspoon tomato paste
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup sharp shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup lobster meat, chopped
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs or Panko crumbs, toasted
Directions:
In a large pot, melt 2 tbsp. butter over medium heat. Add shallots and stir frequently until softened and lightly browned, 1 minute. Add 2 tbsp. flour and stir constantly another minute until flour is cooked slightly and browned a bit (the flour will have a raw taste in your dish if you don’t cook it enough). This is your roux, or your base.
Pour in the sherry (or other alcohol of choice) and stir again. Let the alcohol cook off for another minute. Pour in the milk, cream and tomato paste and stir until well combined. The mixture should be a nice pink color. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to med-low. Stir in cheeses. Stir in lobster meat. Toss pasta with cheese sauce and pour into baking dish. In a small microwave safe bowl, melt remaining tablespoon butter for 1 minute. Stir in bread crumbs and pour over top of macaroni and cheese. Bake for 30 mins. and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you…
