Recipe: Lobster Baked Mac and Cheese

Credit: Courtesy Purple Cafe and Wine Bar

You’ve never had Mac and Cheese this good!

This decadent take on a classic meal creates a macaroni and cheese dinner you won’t soon forget

Ingredients

• 32 oz. Campanelle pasta
• 6 oz. butter
• 2 oz. shallots, finely minced
• 18 oz. lobster meat, half cooked, shucked from its shell and large diced
• 3 oz. white wine
• 18 oz. heavy cream
• 12 oz. Gruyere cheese
• 4 oz. domestic Fontina cheese
• 4 oz. Parmesan cheese
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Garnishes

• 1 carrot, finely julienned
• 1 leek, finely julienned
• Corn starch
• Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

1. Make the garnishes by dusting the carrots and leek in corn starch and separately frying them at 325 degrees until crisp. Do not let them darken! Drain on paper towels.  Be very careful when deep frying at home, especially on a gas stove.
2. Par cook the pasta by boiling it for half of the time stated on the instructions. Drain the pasta and cool under cold running water.
3. Sweat the shallots in the butter until they are translucent – about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the cream and bring to a full boil. Reduce for 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened.
5. Add the lobster meat and just warm through.
6. Add the pasta and thoroughly toss in the cream until coated.
7. Add ¾ of the cheese and stir until melted.
8. While vigorously stirring, drizzle in the lemon juice a little at a time. Do not dump it in all at once or the cream will curdle!
9. Taste for salt. Add if necessary.
10. Place the whole of the pasta in an oven-safe casserole dish and bake at 400 degrees until bubbling and brown on the top.
11. Garnish with the fried leeks and carrots.

Note: The dish comes out of the oven at somewhere near 180-200 degrees. Do not eat right away or you risk personal injury. Usually, letting it rest 5 minutes or so does the trick.

Serves 6

Recipe courtesy Purple Cafe and Wine Bar, Seattle.