Lobster Macaroni and Cheese

Lobsta Mac is Back! (use Jumbo Shrimp)

Lobster Mac and Cheese should be illegal.  It is really good.  Unfortunately at some restaurants it is sooo rich that it is more of an entree than a side dish.  If you're gonna have it more than once a year we should dial back a bit on the heavy cream.  Here is a very useful Mac and Cheese recipe that just happens to have lobster in it.

Update time!  I made this with shrimp last night and it was better than the lobster!  I used a pound and a half of quick frozen shrimp (16-20 size) and after thawing and peeling chopped them fairly finely (5-7 pieces per shrimp).  Better taste, better shellfish distribution.  Since it is hard to get good lobster at a supermarket . . .


You'll need;

• 1 lb jumbo shrimp (thawed, shelled, and chopped)
• 12 to 16oz elbow macaroni (I used a full pound in the pics)
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 1 Tbsp Coleman's powdered mustard
• 2-3 cups milk (I use 2, wifey prefers 3)
• 1/2  to 3/4onion (chopped)
• 1 bay leaf
• A pinch of nutmeg
• 1.5 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
• 1 egg
• 16 oz shredded cheddar
• 4 to 6 oz shredded gruyere
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp buttter
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Get your pasta water on, chop the onion and lobster, preheat the oven to 350F and measure out the rest of your ingredients.  Scramble the egg in a little ramekin.

Boil the macaroni for one minute less than the package says.  7 minutes should do it.

In a big skillet or stock pot melt the 4 Tbsp butter and whisk in the flour and mustard over med heat.  You are making a roux. It has to cook for a few minutes in order to taste right.

Add in the onion, milk, bay leaf, salt, pepper, nutmeg and Old Bay.  Simmer 10 minutes.

7

Fish out the bay leaf.  Temper in the egg by spooning a little of the hot mixture into the ramekin and stirring it in.  Do that 3 times and then dump the tempered egg into the pan.  Add 12oz of the cheese (that's 2/3 for you fraction fans) and stir until it melts a bit.

Fold in the macaroni and the shrimp.  That's right, the lobster goes in raw.  It will cook enough in the casserole dish.  We don't want expensive shoe leather here. If you are worried about the pasta fitting in the pan you could put it into the baking dish, put the lobster into the mixture and then pour the mixture over the pasta in the baking dish.  I don't do it this way because I am particular about even distribution of the sauce/cheese/shellfish.

Transfer into a 9x13 baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.

Use a small pan to melt the 3 Tbsp butter and dump in the panko.  Stir to coat and then spread the panko over the top of the casserole.

Bake at 350F for 30 min.

In the last 2 minutes you could switch over to the broiler if the crumbs are not browned to your liking.

At the end of the bake/broil, remove the dish from the oven and let sit for at least 5 minutes.  It will be too hot to handle for at least that amount of time.

Leftovers can be fried up in a skillet to reheat.